:-NRLF 


:^f^ 


790-1800 


Harris  Avenue,  Acorn  and  Elizabeth  Streets 


d| 
JH 


MFG.  Co, 

HINERY, 

• 

PROVIDENCE.  R.  I. 


OUR  SPECIALTIES: 


LOOMS. 

The  Stafford  Improved  Loom  has  features 
peculiar  to  itself  that  recommend  it  to  mills 
that  are  weaving,  or  intending  to  -weave 
"Fancies." 

It  is  HIGH  SPEED.  Has  capacity  for  25 
Harness  work,  and  occupies  no  more  space  than 
an  ordinary  plain  loom  for  weaving  corre- 
sponding width  of  cloth.  Has  an  unequaled 
brake,  an  easy  picking  motion,  a  take  up 
motion  that  requires  a  smaller  number  of 
change  gears  than  other  looms,  and  all  are 
f itte  d  with  the 

MORTON    LET  OFF. 

This  motion  has  proved  itself  to  be  the  per- 
fection of  Let  Offs,  and  it  can  be  applied  to 
any  loom.  More  even  cloth  can  be  produced 
than  with  any  other  motion.  In  use  in  Slater 
Cotton  Co.,  Lonsdale  Co.,  and  other  first-class 
mills. 

DOBBIES. 

We  make  several  patterns  of  these  popular 
machines,  of  from  8  to  30  harness  capacity, 
and  for  all  classes  of  work,  and  are  the  recog- 
nized leaders  in  this  form  of  Head  motion. 


JACQUARDS. 

We  build  "Rise  and  Drop"  Shed,  "Angular" 
Shed,  "  Single"  Lift,  "Double"  Lift,  "Single 
Cylinder,"  "  Double  Cylinder"  Machines,  and 
for  all  kind  of  goods.  Tie  harnesses,  furnish 
Lingoes,  Heddles,  Cards,  etc.,  etc.  The  fastest 
running  Jacquard  in  the  United  States  was 
built  by  us. 

SHEDDING  ENGINES. 

Or  Single  Lift  "Witches,"  more  particularly 
used  where  "Leno"  or  "Doupe"  work  is  woven. 
We  have  several  valuable  improvements  on 
this  class  of  machines,  and  build  them  also 
with  double  cylinders,  for  saving  pattern 
chain 

BOX  MOTIONS  AND  MULTIPLIERS. 
For  weaving  various  colors  in  the  filling,  and 
saving  pattern  cards  or  chain. 

CENTRE  SELVAGE   MOTIONS. 

For  making  inner  selvages  when  weaving  two 
or  more  pieces  of  narrow  goods  on  -wide  loome. 

TAPE  SELVAGE  MOTIONS. 
Easily  changed  to  or  from  Plain  Selvage. 

THREAD  EXTRACTORS  OR  WASTE  PICKERS. 
We  control  the  Patents  of  Hilliard  &  Gold- 
smith and  W.  H.  Goldsmith. 


- 

* 

' 


THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 


sv 


PRESENTED  BY 

PROF.  CHARLES  A.  KOFOID  AND 
MRS.  PRUDENCE  W.  KOFOID 


<&&^\ 


FROM    THE     PAINTING    BY    LINCOLN.     IN    SAYLES    MEMORIAL    HALL,    BROWN    UNIVERSITY 


THE 


COTTON  CENTENNIAL 

1790-1890. 


Cotton  and  its  Uses,  the  Inception  and  Development  of  the  Cotton  Industries  of  America, 

and  a  Full  Account  of  the 


PAWTUCKET  COTTON  CENTENARY  CELEBRATION. 


HISTORICAL  SKETCHES  OF  SAMUEL  SLATER  AND  OTHER  PIONEER  MANUFACTURERS,  WITH  NOTICES  OF  SOME  OF 

THE   FAMOUS  COTTON   MEN  OF  TO-DAY,   AND  A  COMPREHENSIVE   ACCOUNT   OF   THE   LEADING 

COTTON  MANUFACTURING  CENTRES  OF  NEW  ENGLAND  AND  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

BY 

ROBERT  GRIEVE  AND  JOHN   P.  FERNALD. 


ILLUSTRATED 

By  Portraits,  Landscapes  and  Street  Views. 


PROVIDENCE,  R.  I.:  J.  A.  &  R.  A-  REID,  PUBLISHERS  AND  PRINTERS. 

1891. 


COPYRIGHT. 

J.  A.  &  R.  A.  REID. 

1891. 


INTRODUCTION. 


No  endeavor  has  been  made  in  this  book  to  deal  with  the  history  of  the  cotton  manufacture  in  an  exhaustive 
manner,  but  only  to  treat  its  most  salient  points,  and  to  give  at  the  same  time  a  comprehensive  view  of  the  whole 
field.  The  work  and  struggles  of  the  great  inventors  are  briefly  but  connectedly  told,  and  the  evolution  of  the 
wonderful  machinery,  with  its  great  effect  in  changing  industrial  conditions,  is  traced  from  its  rude  beginning  to 
the  great  perfection  of  the  present.  As  was  fitting  and  proper,  the  origin  and  development  of  the  industry  in  America 
at  Pawtucket  has  been  entered  into  more  extensively  than  any  other  single  phase  of  the  subject,  and,  from  the  neces- 
sities of  the  case,  Samuel  Slater,  "  the  father  of  American  manufactures,"  is  the  central  figure  of  the  story. 

In  tracing  the  relation  of  events,  it  was  found  necessary,  in  connection  with  an  extended  account  of  the  Centenary 
Celebration,  to  give  a  short  sketch  of  the  history  of  Pawtucket,  the  growth  of  its  industries,  and  its  present  condition 
and  future  prospects.  Following  along  naturally,  the  rest  of  Rhode  Island  claimed  attention,  since  here  the  industry 
originally  centered,  and  has  since  always  continued  prominent,  while  the  chief  citj",  Providence,  owes  its  develop- 
ment to  the  manufacture.  The  great  cotton  manufacturing  centres  throughout  New  England  then  came  in  for 
mention,  and  in  conclusion  a  sketch  of  the  progress  of  the  industry  throughout  the  country  is  presented. 

The  first  four  chapters  and  the  last  three,  with  the  exception  of  portions  of  chapters  three  and  nine,  and  the 
descriptive  notices  at  the  end  of  chapters  eight  and  nine,  were  written  by  Mr.  Robert  Grieve,  of  Providence.  The 
fifth,  sixth  and  seventh  chapters,  a  considerable  part  of  the  eighth  and  a  portion  of  the  third,  were  written  and  com- 
piled by  Mr.  John  P.  Fernald,  of  Boston,  who  also  wrote  nearly  all  the  descriptive  notices  of  industries  at  the  end 
of  the  various  chapters. 

Nearly  all  the  portraits  and  a  large  majority  of  the  other  illustrations  were  made  specially  for  this  work,  from 
original  photographs,  by  the  new  half-tone  process  that  has  so  recently  come  into  use.  The  superior  character  of 
these  pictures  as  compared  with  ordinary  engravings  or  with  the  usual  effects  produced  by  mechanical  processes,  will 
be  readily  seen.  The  credit  of  prodXicing  these  excellent  results  belongs  to  theCrosscup  and  West  Engraving  Com- 
pany, of  Philadelphia,  and  is  due  not  only  to  the  excellence  of  its  methods,  but  also  to  the  artistic  skill  of  its  man- 
agers, artists  and  engravers. 

Some  of  the  illustrations  of  processes  in  the  cotton  manufacture  in  the  past  and  present,  were  obtained  from  the 
publishers  of  the  New  England  Magazine,  and  had  been  used  in  that  periodical  in  articles  relating  to  the  cotton 
industry.  The  cuts  of  the  distinctive  machines — the  spinning  frame,  the  mule  and  the  power-loom — were  obtained 
from  leading  American  establishments  at  present  engaged  in  their  manufacture.  From  the  Willimantic  Linen  Com- 
pany some  excellent  illustrations  were  obtained.  Several  of  these  are  pictures  of  historic  methods,  and  were  used  in 
the  first  chapter.  Others  depict  phases  of  existing  processes,  and  the  remainder  are  views  of  buildings.  All  of  these 
are  published  in  the  little  book  entitled,  '•  A  Spool  of  Thread,"  issued  by  that  company. 

The  brief  description  of  modern  processes  in  the  cotton  manufacture,  found  on  pages  20,  21  and  22,  was  sub- 
mitted in  proof  to  Mr.  Daniel  W.  Gray,  superintendent  of  the  mills  of  the  Forestdale  Manufacturing  Company,  who 
made  a  number  of  essential  changes  and  corrections.  Mr.  Ansel  D.  Nickerson,  of  Pawtucket,  Secretary  of  the  Cotton 
Centenary  Committee,  rendered  valuable  aid  in  looking  over  and  suggesting  corrections  in  the  proofs  of  the  matter  re- 
lating to  Pawtucket  and  the  Celebration.  In  the  line  of  historical  materials,  very  great  assistance  was  obtained  at  the 
rooms  of  the  Rhode  Island  Historical  Society,  at  the  Pawtucket  Free  Library  and  at  the  Providence  Public  Library, 
from  the  respective  librarians  and  their  assistants.  To  all  those  mentioned  and  to  many  others  who  have  extended 
courtesies  in  various  ways  that  have  helped  to  increase  the  worth  of  the  book,  the  publishers  extend  their  sincere  thanks. 

THE  PUBLISHERS. 


M374748 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER   I. 

COTTON  AND  ITS  MANUFACTURE. 

How  MEN  FIRST  CLOTHED  THEMSELVES— THE  PHILOSOPHY  OF  CLOTHES — EARLY  USE  OF  WOOL  AND  LINEN— COTTON  FIRST 
CULTIVATED  AND  MANUFACTURED  IN  INDIA  —  PRIMITIVE  METHODS  OF  MANUFACTURE  —  INVENTION  OF  THE  SPINNING 
JENNY  BY  HARGREAVES— SIR  RICHARD  ARKWRIGHT'S  INVENTIONS  OF  ROLLER  SPINNING  AND  ADAPTATION  OF  THE  PRE- 
PARATORY MACHINERY — SAMUEL  CROMPTON  AND  THE  INVENTION  OF  THE  MULE  JENNY — THE  POWER  LOOM  CONSTRUCTED 
BY  REV.  EDMUND  CARTWRIGHT  —  RADCLIFFE'S  DRESSING  MACHINE  —  COTTON  GIN  INVENTED  BY  ELI  WHITNEY  —  IN- 
VENTION OF  THE  STEAM  ENGINE  AND  ITS  EFFECT  ON  THE  COTTON  INDUSTRY  —  GROWTH  OF  THE  BUSINESS — KINDS  AND 
VARIETY  OF  CLOTH  AND  OTHER  GOODS  PRODUCED  FROM  COTTON  —  PRESENT  CONDITIONS  AND  PROSPECTS  IN  THE 
UNITED  STATES  —  THE  COTTON  PLANT  AND  ITS  VARIETIES — WHERE  IT  GROWS  —  BEGINNINGS  OF  SYSTEMATIC  CULTI- 
VATION—  SEA  ISLAND  COTTON — COMMON  AMERICAN  COTTON  —  THE  COTTON  BELT  —  SEED  PLANTING  AND  COTTON 
PICKING  —  THE  YAZOO  DELTA  —  INDIAN,  EGYPTIAN  AND  OTHER  COTTONS  —  COTTON  SEED  OIL  AND  ITS  WONDERFUL 
HISTORY  —  MANUFACTURING  PROCESSES  FROM  THE  RAW  COTTON  TO  THE  FINISHED  CLOTH  —  GENERAL  RESULTS. 

PAGES  9-22. 

CHAPTER  II. 

SAMUEL  SLATER,  AND  THE  INTRODUCTION  OF  COTTON  SPINNING  INTO  AMERICA. 

ATTEMPTS  OF  THE  BRITISH  GOVERNMENT  TO  PREVENT  THE  ESTABLISHMENT  OF  MANUFACTURES  IN  AMERICA  —  FIRST  SPIN- 
NING JENNY  AND  EARLY  COTTON  MANUFACTURING  AT  PHILADELPHIA  —  THE  "STATE'S  MODELS"  AT  BRIDGEWATER, 
MASS. —  BEVERLY  FACTORY  —  BEGINNING  OF  MANUFACTURING  IN  RHODE  ISLAND  —  UNSUCCESSFUL  EXPERIMENTS  WITH 
MACHINERY  —  MOSES  BROWN  PURCHASES  THE  MACHINES  AND  STARTS  ALMY  &  BROWN  IN  BUSINESS  —  SAMUEL  SLATER 

—  His  EARLY  HISTORY  AND  TRAINING — ARRIVES  IN  AMERICA  —  HEARS  OF  MOSES  BROWN  AND  AT  HIS  INVITATION  GOES 
TO  PAWTUCKET  —  BUILDS  THE  ARKWRIGHT  MACHINES  FROM   RECOLLECTION,  AND  STARTS  THEM   DECEMBER   20,  179°  — 
ENTERS   INTO  PARTNERSHIP  WITH  ALMY  &  BROWN  —  THE   OLD  MILL  STARTED — SEWING  THREAD  FIRST  MANUFAC- 
TURED—  EXTENSION  OF  THE  MANUFACTURE  BY  SLATER  AND  HIS   PARTNERS   AT   PAWTUCKET.   SLATERSVILLE   AND  WEB- 
STER—  SLATER'S  ENTERPRISES  IN  OTHER  LINES  —  His  FINANCIAL   EMBARRASSMENT  IN  1829 — His  ENGLISH  PROPERTY 

—  VISITS  OF  PRESIDENTS  MONROE  AND  JACKSON  TO  PAWTUCKET — SLATER'S   MARRIAGE  —  His   FAMILY  —  THE  WILKIN- 
SONS—  SLATER  ESTABLISHES  SUNDAY  SCHOOLS  —  His  CHARACTER,  ACCOMPLISHMENTS  AND  PERSONAL  APPEARANCE. 

PAGES  23-32. 

CHAPTER  III. 

THE  PIONEER  AMERICAN  MANUFACTURERS. 

THE  MILLS  AT  PAWTUCKET  TRAINING  SCHOOLS  FOR  THE  EARLY  MANUFACTURERS  —  EXTENSION  OF  THE  INDUSTRY  AFTER  1807 

—  FIRST  FACTORIES  IN  VARIOUS  PARTS  OF  THE  COUNTRY — POWER  LOOMS  CONSTRUCTED  BY  FRANCIS  C.  LOWELL  AND 
PUT  IN  OPERATION    AT  WALTHAM  —  FOUNDING  OF   i  HE  CITY  OF  LOWELL  —  "  SCOTCH    LOOM"  INTRODUCED  BY  WILLIAM 
GILMOUR,  AT  LYMANSVILLE,  R.  I.  —  CONSEQUENT  GREAT  INCREASE  OF    THE    MANUFACTURE  —  NUMBER    OF    MILLS   AND 
EXTENT  OF  OPERATIONS  AT  DIFFERENT  EPOCHS  —  IMPROVEMENTS  IN  MACHINERY — INTRODUCTION  OF  THE  SELF  ACTING 
MULE  BY  WILLIAM  C.  DAVOL  OF  FALL  RIVER — THE  INVENTION  OF  RING  SPINNING — MOSES  BROWN,  AND  HIS  PRELIM- 
INARY WORK  —  OBADIAH  BROWN  —  WILLIAM  ALMY  —  STARTING   OF    MILLS    AT   CENTERVILLE    AND    CROMPTON  —  GEN. 
CHRISTOPHER  LIPPITT — WILLIAM  SPRAGUE — DR.   STEPHEN   HARRIS  —  SIMON  HENRY  GREENE  —  ZACHARIAH    ALLEN  — 
THOMAS   J.    HILL  —  THOMAS   FLETCHER — OTHER   RHODE    ISLAND    PIONEERS  —  BEGINNING   OF   THE    MANUFACTURE    AT 
FALL  RIVER,  MANCHESTER  AND  LAWRENCE  —  SAMUEL  BATCHELDER  —  UNKNOWN  INVENTORS.          .        .        PAGES  33-47. 

CHAPTER  IV. 

PAWTUCKET,  ITS  ORIGIN  AND  PROGRESS. 

JOSEPH  JENKS  THE  FIRST  SETTLER — ABANDONMENT  OF  THE  SETTLEMENT  DURING  KING  PHILIP'S  WAR — GOVERNOR  JENKS 
AND  THE  OTHER  SONS  OF  JOSEPH  JENKS — THE  FALLS — BUILDING  OF  MILL  DAMS — SERGEANT'S  TRENCH — ORIGIN  OF  THE 
NAME  PAWTUCKET — THE  BLACKSTONE  RIVER — THE  Two  PAWTUCKETS  AND  THE  VARIOUS  CHANGES  IN  LOCAL  GOVERN- 
MENT AND  JURISDICTION — EARLY  SETTLERS  ON  THE  REHOBOTH  SIDE — OZIEL  WILKINSON  AND  His  FAMILY — DAVID 
WILKINSON — TIMOTHY  GREENE — SYLVANUS  BROWN — STEPHEN  JENKS  AND  OTHER  PIONEER  MECHANICS— APPEARANCE  OF 
THE  VILLAGES  AT  DIFFERENT  DATES — THE  OLD  SLATER  MILL  AND  OTHER  FACTORIES — SLATER  MANSION — WATER 
RIGHTS,  WATER  POWERS  AND  WATER  WORKS — FIRST  SCHOOL  AND  CHURCH — FIRST  BANKS — FIRST  FIRE  COMPANY—- 
THE INFLUENCE  OF  THE  PAST  UPON  THE  PRESENT  AND  FUTURE PAGES  49-55. 


CONTENTS.  5 

CHAPTER  V. 

THE  CENTENARY  CELEBRATION. 

THE  IDEA  SUGGESTED — PRELIMINARY  STEPS  AND  PREPARATIONS— FULL  LIST  OF  COMMITTEES — PRELIMINARY  SUNDAY-SCHOOL 
EXERCISES — FIRST  DAY  :  SUNDAY-SCHOOL  DAY — OPENING  OF  THE  INDUSTRIAL  EXHIBITION — EVENING  BANQUET — SECOND 
DAY  :  MILITARY  DAY — THIRD  DAY  :  TRADES  PROCESSION — SECRET  AND  Civic  SOCIETY  PROCESSION.  PAGES  57-76. 

CHAPTER  VI. 

THE  CENTENARY  CELEBRATION.— CONTINUED. 

FOURTH  DAY  :  FIREMEN'S  DAY — TRIAL  OF  VETERAN  AND  ACTIVE  FIRE  ENGINES — EXHIBITORS'  BANQUET — FIFTH  DAY  :  PAW- 
TUCKET  BOAT  CLUB  REGATTA — BICYCLE  RACES — TROTTING  MATCHES  AT  THE  PARK  OF  THE  PAWTUCKET  DRIVING 
ASSOCIATION  —  KING  KOTTON  KARNIVAL — SATURDAY  :  DEDICATION  OF  THE  COLLYER  MONUMENT.  .  PAGES  77-84. 

» 

CHAPTER  VII. 

PAWTUCKET  AT  THE  PRESENT  DAY. 

ITS  GROWTH  AND  PROSPERITY — ITS  VARIED  INDUSTRIES — FAVORABLE  SITUATION  FOR  SPINNING  OF  COTTON — RECENT 
INCREASE  IN  TRADE — COMPETITION  OF  ITS  FIRMS  WITH  ENGLISH  MANUFACTURERS — DEVELOPMENT  OF  THE  "  PLAINS" — 
WATER  AND  FIRE  SERVICE  OF  THE  CITY — PUBLIC  BUILDINGS — PUBLIC  LIBRARY  AND  BUSINESS  MEN'S  ASSOCIATION — 
SCHOOLS  AND  CHURCHES — SOCIAL  LIFE — SAVINGS  BANK  DEPOSITS — SKETCHES  OF  LEADING  INDUSTRIES  AND  BUSINESS 
MEN. PAGES  85-115. 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

PROVIDENCE  AND  THE  RHODE  ISLAND  COTTON  DISTRICT. 

THE  INFLUENCE  OF  MODERN  MANUFACTURING — EARLY  COMMERCE  OF  PROVIDENCE — -DEVELOPMENT,  PROGRESS  AND  DECLINE 
OF  THE  FOREIGN  TRADE — RISE  OF  MANUFACTURING — PROVIDENCE  BECOMES  THE  CENTRE  OF  AN  EXTENSIVE  COTTON 
MANUFACTURING  DISTRICT — THE  FIRST  MILLS  IN  THE  VICINITY — EARLY  STATISTICS — BEGINNINGS  OF  THE  JEWELRY 
MANUFACTURE — THE  FIRST  STEAM  ENGINES — THE  COTTON  AND  OTHER  INDUSTRIES  IN  RHODE  ISLAND — PROMINENT 
MANUFACTURERS — LOCATION  OF  THE  MILLS  IN  THE  STATE — NATURAL  AND  ACOJJIRED  ADVANTAGES  FOR  MANUFACTURING 
— TRANSPORTATION  FACILITIES — THE  CITY  OF  WOONSOCKET,  AND  ITS  MANUFACTURES — SOME  OF  THE  LEADING  MANU- 
FACTURING ESTABLISHMENTS  THROUGHOUT  RHODE  ISLAND.  .........  PAGES  117-152. 

CHAPTER  IX. 

THE  COTTON  MANUFACTURE  IN  NEW  ENGLAND. 

POSITION  OF  NEW  ENGLAND  AS  THE  HOME  OF  THE  COTTON  MANUFACTURE  IN  AMERICA — FALL  RIVER — WALTHAM — LOWELL 
— LAWRENCE — NEW  BEDFORD — CHICOPEE — CLINTON — MILLS  THROUGHOUT  MASSACHUSETTS— MANCHESTER — LEWISTON — 
SAGO  AND  BlDDEFORD,  AND  OTHER  PLACES  IN  MAINE — NASHUA,  DOVER,  GREAT  FALLS  AND  THE  NEW  HAMPSHIRE 
MILLS — CONNECTICUT'S  VILLAGES  AND  MILLS — JEWETT  CITY  AND  THE  FAMILY  OF  JOHN  SLATER — MILLS  IN  VERMONT — 
SOME  LEADING  CONCERNS  IN  VARIOUS  PARTS  OF  NEW  KNGLAND.  .  ......  PAGES  153-170. 

CHAPTER  X. 

THE  COTTON  MANUFACTURE  OUTSIDE  OF  NEW  ENGLAND. 

THE  EXTENT  OF  THE  INDUSTRY  IN  THE  MIDDLE  STATES  —  FIRST  FACTORIES  IN  THE  STATE  OF  NEW  YORK  —  FOUNDING  AND 
DEVELOPMENT  OF  THE  CITY  OF  COHOES — MANUFACTURE  OF  HOSIERY  AND  KNIT  GOODS  —  OTHER  COTTON  CENTRES  IN 
NEW  YORK — FIRST  FACTORIES  IN  NEW  JERSEY — NEWARK — PATERSON — PHILADELPHIA,  THE  GREATEST  TEXTILE  CENTRE 
IN  THE  COUNTRY — WILMINGTON,  DELAWARE — FIRST  MILLS  IN  MARYLAND — BALTIMORE  AND  VICINITY — COTTON  IN  THE 
SOUTHERN  STATES — EARLY  MANUFACTURING — DEVELOPMENT  OF  THE  COTTON  INDUSTRY  IN  THE  SOUTH  SINCE  THE  WAR 
— THE  INDUSTRIAL  EXHIBITIONS  AT  ATLANTA,  LOUISVILLE  AND  NEW  ORLEANS — SMALL  PROPORTIONS  OF  THE  INDUSTRY 
IN  THE  WEST.  . PAGES  173-176. 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


PAGE. 

Ann  and  Hope  Mill,  Lonsdale,      .  46 

BOSTON.  LANDMARKS  OF  : 

Old  Granary  Burying  Ground,     .  159 
The  State  House,      ...  159 
Sturtevant,  B.  F. ,  Co  ,  Works  of.  169 
Calico  Printing,  Modern.           .         .  21 
Campbell  Wax  Thread  Sewing  Ma- 
chine,           103 

Carding,  Drawing,  and  Spinning,      .  24 

Carding  Room,  View  of  a.  Modern,  29 

Calico  Printing  Early  in  the  Century,  27 

CENTENNIAL  VIEWS  : 

City  Council  Committee,     .         .  56 

Dedication  of  Collyer  Monument,  83 

Machinery  Hall,  Interior  of,     .  65 

Main  Street,  Military  Day,   .         .  67 

Memorial  Arch  and  Broad  Street,  59 
Sunday  School  Day — Procession 

Passing  Down  Main  Street,       .  63 

"The  Decorations  were  Profuse,"  73 

Veteran  Firemen's  Day,    .         .  79 

Centreville  Cotton  Mill,    .         .         .  151 

Cotton  Gin, 17 

"  Cotton  Needs  Watchin'"  .  .  12 
Cotton  Picking,  ....  18 
Cotton  Staple,  Full  Size,  ...  14 
Drawing  Frames  in  a  Modern  Card- 
ing Room,  ....  32 
Dye  Room,  Willimantic  Linen  Co.  161 

FALL  RIVER  VIEWS  : 

Durfee  High  School,       .         .  156 

From  the  Harbor,         .         .         .  170 

From  High  School  Building,  .  155 

Mills  along  the  Quequechan,        .  154 


PAGE. 
Borden,     Robinson     and     Davol 

Mills, 1.54 

Friends'  School,          ....  147 

Hand  Mule  Spinning,     ...  24 

Harrisville  Mill,          .         .         .         -  138 

Indian  Girl  Spinning,    ...  10 

National  India  Rubber  Co.'s  Works,  143 

New  Bedford,  from  the  Harbor,    .  157 

Oaks,  The,          .        .        .         ...  162 

Pawtucket  and  Central  Falls  Views,  48 

PAWTUCKET  VIEWS  : 

Conant  Thread  Co  ,      ...  87 

Littlefield  Mfg.  Co.,           .         .  115 

Main  Street,  looking  down,           .  71 
North    Main    Street,     from    the 

Square,  .....  76 
Pawtucket  Falls  early  in  the  cen- 
tury,      49 

Pawtucket  Falls  and  Bridge,  1890,  57 

Pawtucket  Falls,  1890,           .         .  84 

Pawtucket  Hair  Cloth  Co.'s  Mill,  101 

River  north  of  Division  Street,     .  75 

Orient  Card  and  Paper  Co.,     .  115 

Old  Slater  Mill,  in  1840.       .         .  25 

Old  Slater  Mill,  in  1890,    .         .  37 

Old  Slater  Mill,  Belfry  of  ihe,      .  23 

Railroad  Station,       .         .         .  61 

Slater  Cotton  Co.'s  Mills,    .         .  91 

Slater's  First  Residence,  .         .  55 

East  Side  Pawtucket,  1825,           .  53 

View  on  West  Side  in  1830,      .  51 

Picking  Room  and  The  Boss  Picker,  14 

Power  Loom,  Cotton,        ...  17 
Power  Loom  Weaving  Early  in  the 

Century, 27 


PROVIDENCE  VIEWS  : 

Brown  University,  .  .  .  118 
City  Hall,  Exchange  Place,  .  117 
Docks  and  Harbor,  .  .  .119 
Doyle  Monument,  .  .  .  125 
Goddard,  R.  H.  I.,  residence  of,  123 
Knight  B.  B.,  residence  of,  .  123 
Lippitt  Mansion,  ...  131 
Manville  Covering  Co.,  Work  of,  152 
Providence,  from  Prospect  Ter- 
race   121 

Providence  in  1827,    .         .         .  120 

Providence  Machine  Co.  Works  of,  133 

Scenes    in   Providence,         .         .116 

St.  John's  Episcopal  Church,     .  132 

SS.  Peter  and  Paul  Cathedral,     .  122 

Stafford,  Geo.  W.,  Mfg  Co.,     .  14$ 

Y.  M.  C.  A.  Building,         .         .119 

Roman  Girl  with  Distaff,            .         .  10 

Russell  Mfg  Co.,   ....  166 

Spinning  Exhibition,  A     .         .         .  153 

Spinning  Mule,  Modern  American,  15 

Spinning  Frame,  The  Modern  .         .  15 

Spinster,  The          ....  9 

Spooling  Room,  A     .         .         .         .20 

Thomson-Houston  Tramway,       .  167 

Weaving  Room,  A  Modern        .         .  18 

Willimantic  Linen  Co.'s  Buildings,  163 

WOONSOCKKT  VIEWS  : 

Alice   Mill, 140 

Factories  of  the  Social  Mfg  Co.,  135 
Hamlet  Mills,        .         .         .         .151 

Views  of  Woonsocket,       .         .  127 


PORTRAITS. 


Adams,  John  A., 
Adams,  Stephen  L, 
Allen,  Zachariah, 
Anthony,  David,    . 
Arkwright,  Sir  Richard, 
Arnold,  Olney, 
Banigan, Joseph, 
Barnefield,  Thomas  P., 
Barstow,  George  A., 
Bates,  Frank  M.,    . 
Borden,  Richard, 
Brierly,  John, 
Briggs,  Lucius, 
Brown,  Moses, 
Brown,  Nicholas, 
Butts,  Charles  H., 
Carrington,  Edward, 
Carroll,  Hugh  J., 
Chace,  Jonathan, 
Chace,  Oliver, 
Conant,  Hezekiah,     . 
Cranston,  Henry  C., 
Crocker,  Eugene  B  , 
Cutler,  Charles  R., 
Darling,  Edwin, 
Davis,  Gov.  John  W.,     . 
Dexter   F.  W  , 


99 
99 
36 

35 
ii 
69 
141 
64 

'37 
108 

39 

78 

164 

33 
40 
81 
40 
58 
43 
34 
86 
146 
81 

145 
IO2 

68 
"3 


Durfee,  Dr.  Nathan, 
Fletcher,  Charles, 
Fletcher,  Thomas, 
Freeman,  E.  L., 
Gill,  Isaac, 
Goff,  Darius, 
Greene,  Benjamin  F. , 
Greene,  Edward  A., 
Goodwin,  Almon  K., 
Grosvenor.  William, 
Gurney.  William  H., 
Hail,  George, 
Harris,  Edward, 
Harris,  William  A., 
Hill,  Thomas  J.,     . 
Hubbard,  Henry  G., 
Jenks,  Henry  F.,    . 
Klapp,  Lyman, 
Knight,  B.  B., 
Knight,  Robert, 
Knight,  Stephen  A.. 
Ladd,  Herbert  W.,     . 
Lapham,  Enos, 
Lee,  Charles  A., 
Littlefield,  Alfred  H., 
Littlefield,  Daniel  G., 
Littlefield,  George  L  , 


PAGE. 

38  Lippitt,  Henry,         ' . 

142  Lothrop,  Philip  N., 

41  Mabbett,  George, 
114  Mason,  Robert  D., 

80  Metcalf,  Henry  B.,     . 

95  Newell,  Oscar  A., 
93  Nicholson,  Wm.  T., 
93  Nickerson,  Ansel  D., 
85  Payne,  J.  Milton, 

45  Perry,  Oliver  H.,    . 

70  Pierce,  Alonzo  E., 

145  Sayles,  F.  C., 

36  Sayles,  W.  F., 

.     140  Sheldon,  H.  H.,      . 

42  Sherman,  Albert  R., 
.     165  Slater,  John, 

60  Slater,  Samuel, 

19  Stearns,  Henry  A., 

128  Sturtevant,  B.  F., 
.     124  Thayer,  Philo  E., 

129  Tiepke,  Henry  E., 

.      142  Tinkham,  William,     . 

150  Walker,  W.  Howard 

.  in  Walker,  William  R., 

90  Warland,  Charles  A., 

ico  Watt,  James, 

96  Whitney,  Eli, 


PAGE. 

•       47 

'52 

.       66 

97 
62 


•  '44 

60 

•  74 
70 

.      62 

.         .  89 

.88 

10.5 

66 

26 

Frontispiece. 

.         .        98 

168 

•  97 
77 

•  '39 
149 

•  149 
107 

.       16- 
'3 


INDEX  TO  HISTORICAL  AND  DESCRIPTIVE  SKETCHES. 


American  Multiple  Fabric  Co., 
Banigan,  Joseph,    . 
Barstow  Thread  Co., 
Bates,  Frank  M.,   . 
Briggs,    Lucius, 
Brown,  James  S  ,    . 

Butler,  R.  A 

Campbell  Machine  Co., 
Carroll,  Hugh  J., 
Conant  Thread  Co  ,       . 
Corliss  Steam  Engine  Co., 
Cranston,  Henry  C.,      . 
Crocker,  J.  &  Son, 
Cutler  Mfg.  Co.,    . 
Darling,  Edwin, 

Dexter,  F.  W 

Dexter  Yarn  Co., 
Dunnell  Mfg.  Co.', 
Excelsior  Loom  Reed  Works,    . 
Fales  &  Jencks  Machine  Co., 
Fletcher,  Charles, 
Fletcher  Mfg.  Co., 
Freeman,  E.  L.  &  Son, 
Friends  School, 
Goff,  D.  &  Sons, 
Goodwin,  Almon  K.,     . 
Greene  &  Daniels  Mfg.  Co., 
Grosvenor-Dale  Co.,  and  Willia 

Grosvenor, 
Hamlet  Mills,     .         .         .         . 


PAGE.  PAGE. 

139  Harris,  William  A.  Engine  Co.,   .  139 

140  Haskell,  William  H.  Co.,           .  .  in 
.      137  Hill,  Thomas  J 133 

108  Home  Bleach  &  Dve  Works,     .  .  no 
164  Kenyon,  John  J.,    ....  112 
107  Knight,  B.  B.&  R.,  .         .         .  .129 

.     1-9  Ladd,  H.  W.,         .         .         .         .  142 

103  I  apham,  Enos.           ....  150 

104  Lebanon  Mill  Co.,         .         .         .  103 

93  Little.  John  W.  &  Co.,      .         .  .110 
.     144  Littlefield  Mfg.  Co.,       ...  95 

146  Lippitt,    Henry.         ....  134 

.     106  Lothrop,  Philip  N.,                 .         .  152 

145  Luther,  Charles  A.  &  Co. ,         .  .  106 
.      102  Mabbett,  George,  ....  109 

113  Manville  Covering  Co.,     .         .  .     150 

109  Manufac  urers  National  Bank,  148 
92  Mason,  Robert  D.  &  Co.,      .         .  96 

.      113  Moncrief,  McLay  &  Co.,  .         .  .     no 

96  National  India  Rubber  Co  ,  .         .  143 

.     141  Nicholson  File  Co  ,  ....  144 

130  Norris  &  Keagan,  ....  112 

.     113  Orient  Card  &  Paper  Co.,        .  .     114 

146  Pairpoint  Mfg.  Co  ,        .         .         .  163 

94  Pawtucket  Daily  Evening  Times,  .  104 
108  Pawtucket  Gazette  and  Chronicle,  in 

92  Pawtucket  Hair  Cloth  Co.,         .  .      100 

Payne,  Geo.  W.  &  Co.,         .         .  106 

132  Perry  Oil  Co., 109 

150  Providence  Machine  Co.,      .         .  133 


Providence  Dyeing,  Bleaching  & 

Calendering  Co.,       .         .         .  130 

Providence  Steam  Trap  Co.,      .  147 

Rhode  Island  Card  Board  Co.,     .  106 

Rhode  Island  Hosiery  Co.,        .  .     in 

Russell   Mfg.   Co.,         ...  165 

Sayles,  W.  F.  &  F.  C.,      .    '     .  .       94 

Sheldon  H.  H 105 

Silver  Spring  Bleachery  &   Dye 

Works 136 

Slater  Cotton  Co.,         ...  91 

Smith,  Amos  D.  &  James  Y.,    .  .     131 

Social  Mfg.  Co 134 

Stafford  Mfg.  Co 99 

Stafford,  Geo.  W.  Mfg.  Co.,         .  148 

Stearns,  Henry  A.,    ....  98 

Sturtevant,  B.  F.  Mfg.  Co  ,         .  168 

Thayer,  P.  E.   &  Co.,         .         .  .       95 

Thomson-Houston  Motor  Co.,     .  167 

Tiepke,  Henry  E.,       ....  no 

Tinkham,  William  &  Co.,     .         .  138 

United  States  Cotton  Co.,         .  .       96 

Union  Wadding  Co. ,     ...  97 

Walker,  William  R.  &  Son,       .  .     149 

Warland,  Charles  A.,    .         .         .  107 

Weatherhead,  Thompson  &  Co.,  .     106 

Wilbour,  Jackson  &  Co.,        .         .  147 

Willimantic  Linen  Co.,     .         .  .     161 

Woonsocket  Rubber  Co.,      .         .  140 


INDEX   TO  ADVERTISEMENTS. 


American  National  Bank, 
American  Ring  Traveler  Co. 
Arnold,  George  W., 
Barker,  F.  Eugene  &  Co.,    . 
Belcher,  W.  M.  &  Co  ,     . 
Brown  Cotton  Gin  Co., 
Brown,  J.  E.  &  H.  L.,      .         . 
Bush,  Chas  S.  Co., 
Carr,  William  B.,     . 
Carpenter,  H.  T., 
Chapman  Valve  Mfg   Co  , 
Cheney  Bros  , 
Clark,  A  D.,  Shuttle  Co., 
Clark,  Jeremiah,   .... 
Coates  Clipper  Mfg.   Co., 
Cobb,  Thaddeus  S   &  Co.,  .         ; 
Collins,  J.  P.  &  Co., 
Crocker,  J.  &  Son, 
Cummings,  J.  H.,     .         .         .         . 
Draper,  Geo.  &  Sons,       Inside  back 
Dudley,  S.  A.,      . 
Excelsior  Loom  Reed  Works, 
Fall  River  Machine  Co., 
First  National  Bank, 
Franklin  Savings  Bank, 
•Gardner,  Walter  S  , 
Goff,  Isaac  L., 

Granger  Foundry  &  Machine  Co., 
Gray  Steam  Boiler  Co.,     . 
Harris,  Wm.  A.,  Steam  Engine  Co., 
Hartford  Decorating  Co... 
Hartford    Steam   Boiler  Inspection 

and  Ins.  Co.,    .... 
Heath,  Wm.  G.  &  Co.,     . 
Hill,  James,  Mfg.  Co., 


PAGE. 
I 

XIX 

XIX 

X 

XIV 

IV 

XVI 

IV 

XIX 

XII 

II 

XXIV 
IV 
IV 

XXV 
IV 
IV 

XXII 
IV 

cover 

XXII 
IX 

I 

XII 

XI 

XIV 

IV 

XXV 

VIII 

V 

IV 

171 

XIV 
XVI 


PAGE. 

Home  Bleach  and  Dye  Works,  .  X 
Hopkins  Magic  Gold  DustCo.,  .  XXI 
Howland  Paul,  Jr.,  .  .  .  XXIII 

Huston,  William,  .  .  .  XVI 
Industrial  Trust  Co.,  Inside  back  cover. 
Jacobs,  Edward  H.  Mfg.  Co.,  .  IV 

Jarvis  Engineering  Co.,  .  .  XVIII 
Jillson,  Wm.  C.  &  Son,  .  .  XIX 

Kenyon,  John  J.,  ...  VIII 
Kilburn,  Lincoln  &  Co.,  •.  .  VI 
Kitson  Machine  Co.,  ...  H 

Ladd,  H.  W.  Co.,  .  .  .  .  XXII 
Ladd  Watch  Case  Co.,  .  .  XX 
Lathrop,  R.  S  ,  IV 

Lazelle,  Henry  C.,  XII 

Lebanon  Mill  Co.,  ...       XI 

Little,  John  W.  &  Co.,  .  .'  XI 
Littlefield  Manufacturing  Company,  VIII 
Lothrop,  Philip  N.  &  Co.,  .  .  XV 
Luther,  Chas.  A.  &  Co.,  .  .  Ill 
Manville  Covering  Co.,  .  .  XXI 
Manufacturers  National  Bank,  .  I 

Martin,  A.  P.  &  Co.,         .  .        VIII 

Mason,  Robert  D.  &  Co.,  .  .  X 
Mason  &  Wilson,  .  .  .  XVI 
Mather  Electric  Company,  .  XXIV 

Merchants  National  Bank,  Inside  cover 
Merchants  and  Miners Tr'p'tion  Co.,  XIV 
Merithew  &  Kinney,  .  .  .  VIII 
Miller,  Edward  &  Co.,  Inside  back  cover 

Miller,  Jos.  A.  &  Co XII 

Moncrief,  McLay  &  Co.,  .         .  XXII 

Morse  Twist  Drill  &  Machine  Co.,  XXII 
New  Bedford  Copper  Co.,  .  XXIII 
N.  E.  Ventilating  and  Heating  Co.,  Ill 


PAGE. 
XVII 
III 

XXIII 
XIII 
VIII 
II 
IX 
VIII 
VIII 
IX 

172 

XIX 

Pitkins,  A.  B. XXV 

IX 

VI 
XIII 

172 

X 

XIII 
XVI 

XI 


Nicholson  File  Co.,     . 

Norris  &  Keagan,     ,         .         .         . 

Nye,  William  F., 

Olney  Bros,       ...... 

Olney  &  Payne  Bros., 
Parker  Bros.,     . 

Pawtucket  Dying  &  Bleaching  Co., 
Pawtucket  G'azed  Paper  Co.,  . 

Pawtucket  HairCloth  Co., 
Pawtucket  Institution  for  Savings, 
Phenix  Iron  Foundry, 
Pierce,  Oiis  S. 


Polsey.J.  N.  &  Co.,  . 
Providence  County  Savings  Bank, 
Providence  Gas  Co.,  . 
Providence  Steam  Trap  Co.,  . 
Rhode  Island  Card  Board  Co.,  . 
Rhode  Island  Hospital  Trust  Co., 
Ryder  &  Dearth  Co., 
Sheldon,  H.  H.  &  P.  C.,  . 
Smales,  George,  ....  XIX 
Spencer,  H.  L.,  .  .  .  .  VIII 
Stafford,G.W.,Mfg.Co.,  Inside  front  cover 
Stillman,  T.  V.  &  V.  C.,  .  XVIII 

Talcott,  W.  O.,        .         Inside  back  cover 
Tucker  Letter  and  Document  File 


Co 


Walker,  Geo.  L.  &  Co.,  . 

Walker,  R.  L 

Weatherhead,  Thompson  &  Co., 
Wilbour,  Jackson  &  Co., 
Williams  H.  A.  Mfg.  Co.,   . 
Wilson,  S.C 


VII 
XI 

XXIII 
VI 

•     172 

XIX 

XXIII 


ClMPTCR  I. 


COTTON  AND  ITS  MANUFACTURE. 


How  MEN  FIRST  CLOTHED  THEMSELVES — THE  PHILOSOPHY  OF  CLOTHES — EARLY  USE  OF  WOOL  AND  LINEN — COTTON  FIRST 
CULTIVATED  AND  MANUFACTURED  IN  INDIA  —  PRIMITIVE  METHODS  OF  MANUFACTURE  —  INVENTION  OF  THE  SPINNING 
JENNY  BY  HARGREAVES  — SIR  RICHARD  ARKWRIGHT'S  INVENTIONS  OF  ROLLER  SPINNING  AND  ADAPTATION  OF  THE  PRE- 
PARATORY MACHINERY — SAMUEL  CROMPTON  AND  THE  INVENTION  OF  THE  MULE  JENNY — THE  POWER  LOOM  CONSTRUCTED 
BY  REV.  EDMUND  CARTWRIGHT  —  RADCLIFFE'S  DRESSING  MACHINE  —  COTTON  GIN  INVENTED  BY  ELI  WHITNEY  —  IN- 
VENTION OF  THE  STEAM  ENGINE  AND  ITS  EFFECT  ON  THE  COTTON  INDUSTRY  —  GROWTH  OF  THE  BUSINESS — KINDS  AND 
VARIETY  OF  CLOTH  AND  OTHER  GOODS  PRODUCED  FROM  COTTON  —  PRESENT  CONDITIONS  AND  PROSPECTS  IN  THE 
UNITED  STATES  —  THE  COTTON  PLANT  AND  ITS  VARIETIES  —  WHERE  IT  GROWS —BEGINNINGS  OF  SYSTEMATIC  CULTI- 
VATION—  SEA  ISLAND  COTTON — COMMON  AMERICAN  COTTON  —  THE  COTTON  BELT  —  SEED  PLANTING  AND  COTTON 
PICKING  —  THE  YAZOO  DELTA  —  INDIAN,  EGYPTIAN  AND  OTHER  COTTONS  —  COTTON  SEED  OIL  AND  ITS  WONDERFUL 
HISTORY  —  MANUFACTURING  PROCESSES  FROM  THE  RAW  COTTON  TO  THE  FINISHED  CLOTH  —  GENERAL  RESULTS. 


THE  clothing 
first  worn 
by  mankind 
was  prob- 
ably the 
leaves  of 
trees,  and  as 
the  race  or- 
iginally de- 
veloped in 
warm  di- 
al e  s  ,  the 
broad  leaves 
of  tropical 
plants  a  f  - 
forded  all 
the  protec- 
tion that 
the  weather 
or  the  first 
feelings  of 
modesty  ren- 
dered neces- 
sary. The 
next  step  in 
all  likeli- 
hood was 

the  use  of  the  skins  of  animals.  Then  came,  as  men 
emerged  from  barbarism,  rude  manufactures  of  wool, 
linen  and  cotton,  by  slow  and  laborious  manual  labor. 
Finally,  in  the  course  of  evolution,  there  was  devel- 
oped, within  a  short  period,  the  elaborate  manufacture 
of  various  vegetable  and  animal  fibres  by  wonderful  ma- 
chinery, the  production  being  so  great  as  to  be  suffi- 
cient to  clothe  all  the  millions  of  the  earth's  inhab- 
itants. Yet  every  phase  of  these  methods,  from  the  time 
of  garments  of  fig-leaves  to  the  present,  is  now  in  ex- 
istence. The  spinning  wheel,  the  distaff,  and  the  hand 


THE  SPINSTER. 


loom  are  yet  in  use  in  remote  sections  of  nearly  all  civil- 
ized countries,  and  are  in  general  use  in  India  and  the 
Orient.  Some  savage  tribes  clothe  themselves  in  the 
most  primitive  way,  while  in  civilized  communities  the 
skins  of  animals  —  furs  —  are  very  fashionable  and  ex- 
pensive articles  of  apparel. 

"  The  philosophy  of  clothes"  is  a  very  great  subject ; 
what  men  and  women  have  worn  and  do  wear ;  how 
and  why  they  wear  what  they  do  ;  and  the  whole  aim,  pur- 
pose and  meaning  of  clothes  have  great  significance  and 
human  interest.  Whether  for  good  or  evil,  the  mere 
question  of  "what  to  wear"  has  not  only  an  individual 
but  a  national  and  international  aspect,  and  many  of  the 
pageants  of  life  are  alone  seen  in  their  true  significance 
when  their  relation  to  clothes  is  understood.  War  and 
diplomacy  have  in  the  past  attempted  to  deal  with  many 
vital  questions  but  have  made  little  progress  in  settling 
or  solving  them,  while,  on  the  other  hand,  peaceful  arts 
and  new  inventions  have  done  more  to  change  the  cur- 
rent of  the  world's  life  and  to  remake  history  than  any 
other  agencies.  The  rise  and  development  of  textile 
industries  is  on  this  account  undoubtedly  the  greatest 
series  of  occurrences  in  the  past  century. 

The  use  of  wool  and  linen  long  preceded  that  of  cot- 
ton among  the  Greeks  and  Romans.  In  early  times  linen 
was  largely  used  among  the  nations  known  to  history 
in  Eastern  Europe,  Asia  and  along  the  shores  of  the  Medi- 
terranean Sea,  and  in  Palestine,  Persia,  Syria,  Asia  Minor 
and  Arabia  it  was  the  chief  material  of  clothing.  Kings 
and  princes  clothed  themselves  in  "purple  and  fine 
linen,"  the  purple  probably  being  exquisite  woolens. 
For  thousands  of  years  to  say  that  one  was  born  to  the 
purple  has  carried  the  meaning  that  the  person  to  whom 
it  was  applied  was  born  of  a  royal  or  noble  race.  Coarse 
woolen  garments,  sackcloth,  or  camel's  hair  constituted 
the  clothing  of  the  common  people. 

Since  very  early  times  cotton  has  been  used  and  culti- 
vated in  India  and  the  East  Indies.  Herodotus,  the 


10 


THE  COTTON   CENTENNIAL 


ROMAN  GIRL  WITH  DISTAFF. 

ancient  Greek  historian,  writing  about  five  hundred  years 
B.  C«,  describes  the  cotton  tree  and  the  manufacture  of 
the  product  into  cloth.  Althofigh  this  is  the  earliest  his- 
torical mention,  it  is  likely  that  the  Hindoos  had  long 
before  known  the  use  of  cotton.  From  this  period, 
however,  the  fact  is  quite  certain  that  the  clothing  of 
the  people  of  India  consisted  chiefly  of  cotton  garments 
of  domestic  manufacture.  Very  slowly  the  use  of  cot- 
ton cloth  spread  over  the  rest  of  the  world,  and  not 
until  shortly  before  the  Christian  era  was  it  known  in 
Rome,  when  it  was  introduced  by  Ca?sar  and  other 
generals  for  tent  coverings  and  awnings.  The  first  cul- 
tivation in  Europe  of  the  cotton  plant  was  in  Spain  by 
the  Moors  in  the  tenth  century,  and  very  gradually  it 
was  introduced  into  other  countries  in  Southern  Europe. 

Not  until  the  fifteenth  century  was  cotton  imported  into 
England,  when  it  was  brought  into  the  country  in  small 
quantities,  and  in  1700  the  annual  consumption  was  only 
1,000,000  pounds.-  From  that  time  there  was  a  gradual 
but  slow  increase  in  the  amount  imported  until  after  the 
vear  1786,  when  in  consequence  of  the  invention  of 
machinery,  the  increase  was  enormous,  and  has  contin- 
ued until  the  present  at  a  great  ratio.  The  Mexicans  and 
Peruvians  understood  the  manufacture  of  cotton  cloth 
before  the  discovery  of  America,  and  used  it  for  clothing, 
draperies  and  other  purposes. 

The  original  methods  of  converting  cotton  into  yarn 
and  cloth  were  very  primitive.  In  India,  the  home  of  the 
industry,  the  contrivances  were  so  crude  and  simple  as 
scarcely  to  be  dignified  by  the  name  of  machines.  The 
spinning  was  done  with  the  aid  of  the  distaff,  which  was 
simply  a  forked  stick  that  held  a  bunch  of  cleansed  or 
carded  fibre.  This  instrument  was  held  under  the  left 
arm,  while  with  the  right  hand  the  cotton  was  drawn  out, 
twisted  into  a  thread,  and  then  wound,  as  it  was  thus 


made,  on  a  round  stick  called  a  spindle.  The  spin- 
ning wheel,  which  was  invented  in  India,  was  a  great 
advance  on  this  method,  as  the  spindle  was  kept  revolv- 
ing by  a  band  from  the  wheel,  and  a  twist  was  thereby 
given  to  the  yarn,  while,  by  the  continuity  of  the  motion, 
greater  evenness  was  obtained.  Spinning  wheels  were 
either  run  by  hand  or  by  a  foot  treadle.  The  looms  on 
which  the  Hindoos  wove  their  cloth  were  even  more  sim- 
ple than  their  spinning  contrivance.  A  few  upright 
sticks  placed  under  a  tree,  a  hole  dug  for  the  weaver  to 
sit  in,  his  web  of  threads  spread  out  on  the  grass  before 
him,  the  reed  —  the  only  semblance  to  anything  in  mod- 
ern machinery  about  the  whole  affair — in  position,  and 
the  workman  was  ready  for  his  labor.  The  whole  of 
such  weaving  must  necessarily  have  been  done  by  hand, 
yet  the  quality  and  fineness  of  the  cloth  thus  produced 
has  hardly  been  surpassed  by  the  products  of  the  machin- 
ery of  modern  times.  During  all  the  two  thousand  years 
that  the  manufacture  of  cotton  had  been  practiced  by  the. 
people  of  India  no  improvement,  unless  the  spinning 
wheel  be  reckoned  as  such,  had  been  made  in  methods. 

In  England  until  the  time  of  Henry  VIII  the  distaff 
was  the  only  spinning  instrument  in  use,  and  the  women 
who  worked  at  the  occupation  were  known  as  "spin- 
sters." The  spinning  wheel,  by  some  authorities  said  tp 
have  been  invented  in  1530,  and  by  others  to  have  been 
brought  from  India,  then  came  into  use  and  for  a  time 
helped  to  keep  up  with  the  demand  of  the  hand-loom 
weavers  for  cotton  and  woolen  yarns  for  their  looms. 

The  invention  of  the  fly  shuttle  in  1733  by  John  Kay  of 
Bury  gave  such  an  impetus  to  domestic  hand-loom  weav- 
ing that  the  spinning  wheel  could  not  keep  up  with  the 
demand  for  yarn,  and  men  began  to  cast  about  for  a 
speedier  method  of  spinning.  This  want  was  supplied 
by  the  spinning  jenny,  invented  in  1767  by  James  Har- 
greaves,  an  illiterate  workman  in  Stand-Hill,  Lancashire, 
England.  In  1770  Hargreaves  obtained  a  patent.  This 


INDIAN  GIRL  SPINNING. 


COTTON   AND   ITS   MANUFACTURE. 


11 


machine  was  a  development  of  the  spinning  wheel, 
and  consisted  of  a  frame  in  which  were  set  eight  spin- 
dles which  were  made  to  revolve  together.  Hargreaves 
still  further  developed  the  machine,  and  finally  con- 
structed one  with  eighty  spindles.  The  jenny  could  do 
so  much  more  work  than  the  old  spinning  wheel  that 
the  spinners  in  the  neighborhood  fearing  their  means 
of  livelihood  would  be  taken  from  them  through  its 
agency,  broke  into  Hargreaves'  shop  at  Blackburn,  de- 
stroyed his  machines  and  drove  him  out  of  the  place. 
He  went  from  there  to  Nottingham  where  he  built  a 
small  mill  and  established  a  spinning  business.  Besides 
inventing  the  spinning  jenny  Hargreaves  had  previously 
adapted  the  stock  cards  in  use  in  woolen  manufacturing 
to  the  carding  of  cotton, 
and  he  continued  to  make 
improvements  until  cylin- 
der cards  were  developed 
as  early  as  the  year  1762. 

The  great  inventor  of 
cotton  machinery  was 
Richard  Arkwright.  He 
was  born  in  Preston,  Eng- 
land, December  23,  1732, 
and  in  his  youth  learned 
the  trade  of  a  barber. 
Afterward  he  engaged  in 
business  as  a  manufac- 
turer of  wigs  and  a  dealer 
in  hair,  which  occupations 
he  followed  until  he  was 
thirty-five  years  old,  and 
during  this  period  of  his 
life  he  traveled  and  worked 
in  various  places  in  Eng- 
land and  Scotland.  Owing 
to  the  change  in  fashion 
that  brought  about  the  dis- 
use of  wigs,  Arkwright's 
business  declined,  and  he 
began  to  turn  his  attention 
to  mechanical  pursuits. 
There  is  good  reason  to 
believe  that  the  great  idea 
of  spinning  by  rollers  was 
fully  developed  in  his 
mind  as  early  as  the  year 

1767,  but  it  was  not  until  two  years  later  that  he  had  a 
machine  in  operation.  The  experiments  were  conducted 
in  company  with  a  clock  maker  named  John  Kay,  in  his 
native  place,  Preston,  but  when  success  had  crowned  his 
efforts  he  removed  in  1769  to  Nottingham,  which  was  a 
manufacturing  centre.  He  secured  a  patent  July  3,  1769, 
and  having  obtained  capital  from  some  men  of  wealth 
who  saw  the  merits  of  his  invention,  he  immediately 
proceeded  to  systemize  the  whole  operations  of  the  man- 
ufacture in  a  small  mill  which  he  started. 

The  invention  of  roller  spinning,  as  applied  in  the  spin- 
ning frame  by  Arkwright,  introduced  an  entirely  new 
principle,  and  was  a  great  advance  over  the  spinning 


SIR   RICHARD  ARKWRIGHT, 


INVENTOR  OF  ROLLER  SPINNING. 


various  parts  of  the  machine,  all  operating  in  unison  for 
the  accomplishing  of  one  purpose,  constituted  the  spin- 
ning frame  the  first  automatic  spinning  machine  invented, 
and  the  first  of  that  wonderful  series  of  mechanical  con- 
trivances that  in  the  cotton  and  other  industries  have 
since  that  time  revolutionized  manufacturing.  No  sub- 
sequent invention  has  either  superseded  or  substantially 
modified  Arkwright's  spinning  frame,  although  many 
minor  improvements  have  been  invented.  The  invention 
substantially  consisted  in  drawing  out  the  roving  by 
passing  it  between  a  series  of  three  sets  of  rollers,  those 
in  front  running  at  a  higher  rate  of  speed  than  those 
behind,  the  lower  ones  being  fluted  and  the  upper  ones 
covered  with  leather,  with  the  result  that  the  staple  was 

lengthened  and  some  twist 
given  to  it ;  at  the  same 
time  the  revolution  of 
the  spindles  gave  a  fur- 
ther twist  to  the  yarn 
and  other  mechanical 
adjustments  operated  to 
wind  it  on  the  spindles, 
to  perform  various  minor 
but  necessary  motions, 
and  to  keep  all  this  mech- 
anism in  harmonious, 
co-related  working  order. 
Not  only  dtd  Arkwright 
invent  this  wonderful  ma- 
chine, but  he  improved 
existing  machines  in  use 
for  the  preliminary  work 
of  preparing  the  cotton 
for  spinning,  and  may  in- 
deed be  said  to  have  in- 
vented the  whole  list  of 
preparatory  machines,  so 
thorough  and  well  devised 
•were  his  improvements 
and  adaptations,  while  the 
combining  of  them  all  in  a 
connected  series,  in  which 
one  took  up  the  work 
where  the  other  left  it, 
was  entirely  due  to  his 
genius,  energy  and  prac- 
tical ability. 

Arkwright's  first  mill  at  Nottingham  was  driven  by 
horses,  but  this  species  of  motive  power  was  soon  found 
to  be  too  expensive.  In  1771  he  entered  into  a  partner- 
ship with  Mr.  Jedediah  Strutt  and  Mr.  S.  Need,  and  they 
erected  a  mill  at  Cromford,  on  the  banks  of  the  river 
Derwent,  and  operated  it  by  water-power.  This  was 
the  first  cotton  mill  in  the  world  to  be  driven  by  a  water- 
wheel,  and  from  this  circumstance  the  spinning  machines 
were  called  water  frames.  The  yarn  made  in  this  mill, 
which  was  in  fact  the  first  wholly  successful  one,  was 
very  much  more  even,  firm  and  hard  than  that  previously 
made  by  the  spinning  jenny,  and  it  was  first  used  by  Mr. 
Strutt  to  make  stockings  by  his  patented  process.  In 


jenny  of  Hargreaves.     The  delicate  adjustment  of  the      1773  the  firm  began  to  make  calico  wholly  of  cotton, 


12 


THE   COTTON   CENTENNIAL. 


and  this  was  the  first  cloth    manufactured    in    England 
entirely  of  this  material,  linen  always  having  previously 
been  used  for  the  warp.     Although  Arkwright  and  his 
partners  had  invested  upward  of  £12,000,  such  were  the 
difficulties  encountered  that  they  secured    no   adequate 
income  until  after  1774.     In  1779  a  new  and  expensive 
mill  that  they  had  erected  at  Chorley  was  destroyed  by  a 
mob,  because  of  the  popular  feeling  that  the  new  machin- 
ery would  throw  workmen  out  of  employment.     Mean- 
while Arkwright  was  developing  the  machinery  as  al- 
ready described,  in  the  mill  on  the  Derwent,  and  in  1775 
he  obtained  patents.     His  patent  for  the  roller  spinning 
frame  had  been  contested  in  1772,  but  a  verdict  was  ren- 
dered in  his  favor.     A  suit  as  to  the  validity  of  the  pat- 
ents of   1775  was  decided  against  him  in   1781,  but  in 
1785  he  secured  a  favorable  verdict.     This  result  crea- 
ted such  consterna- 
tion among  manu- 
facturers who  had 
begun  to  use   the 
Arkwright     ma- 
chines   after    the 
adverse  verdict  of 
1781,  that  a  com- 
bination    was 
formed      against 
Arkwright.       A 
new  trial  was  had, 
and     the     patents 
were  canceled  on 
the    ground    that 
the    specifications 
were      defective. 
Another  trial  was 
denied     A  r  k  - 
wright,    although 
there  is  little  doubt 
that  he  could  have 
made  clear  his  un- 
doubted right  to  the  inventions,  as  historical  investiga- 
tion has  practically  shown  that  "  the  whole  of  the  com- 
plicated self-acting  machinery  which  without  the  inter- 
vention of  hand  labor,  performed  the  different  processes 
necessary  to  change  raw  cotton  into  yarn   suitable  for 
warp,  was  substantially  his  invention."     At  the  time  that 
he  thus  lost  exclusive  control  of  the  new  cotton  machin- 
ery he  had  over  5,000  people  in  his  employment,  and 
was  rapidly  acquiring  an  immense  fortune  from  his  mills 
and  the  sale  of  his  patents. 

The  canceling  of  the  patents,  instead  of  interfering  with 
Arkwright's  success  as  a  manufacturer,  seemed  only  to 
spur  him  on  to  further  and  greater  efforts,  his  enterprise 
reached  out  in  all  directions,  and  he  continued  persever- 
ingly  to  extend  and  develop  his  business.  He  established 
mills  in  various  places  in  England,  and  was  interested 
in  those  started  by  Daniel  Dale  at  New  Lanark  in  Scot- 
land, where  subsequently  Robert  Owen  put  his  social- 
istic experiment  into  operation.  His  genius  was  man- 
ifested in  the  conduct  and  management  of  his  mills, 
no  less  than  in  his  invention  of  the  machinery,  for  he 
introduced  excellent  methods  in  all  departments,  and  by 


: COTTON 


the  systematic  training  of  his  employes,  developed  them 
into  well-trained  and  capable  assistants.  This  was  the 
beginning  of  the  "  factory  system."  so  called  from  the 
fact  that  those  engaged  in  manufacturing  worked  together 
under  one  roof  where  all  the  details  of  the  industry  were 
conducted,  instead  of  being  employed  in  their  homes  or 
in  small  shops  as  had  been  the  custom  previously.  Ark- 
wright began  to  use  Boulton  &  Watt's  steam  engine  in 
his  mills  at  Nottingham  in  1790,  and  this  was  probably 
the  first  application  of  steam-power  to  cotton  machinery. 
In  1786  the  inventor  was  knighted  and  became  Sir  Rich- 
ard Arkwright.  He  died  August  3,  17^2,  at  the  age  of 
60.  Ark wright's  career  is  one  of  the  most  wonderful 
on  record.  With  no  academic  education,  anil  little  or  no 
experience  in  mechanics  to  begin  with,  by  his  own  energy 
and  ability  he  developed  agencies  that  increased  the  pro- 
ductive power  of 
the  world  to  a 
greater  extent  than 
any  single  indi- 
vidual has,  either 
before  or  since. 

As  an  immedi- 
ate result  of  the 
setting  aside  of 
Arkwright's  pat- 
ents in  1 785  cot- 
ton mills  were 
erected  in  all  parts 
of  Lancashire  and 
adjoining  regions, 
and  what  in  mod- 
ern times  would 
be  called  a  great 
boom  in  manufac- 
turing ensued.  In- 
deed the  great  and 
constantly  grow- 
ing demand  for 
raw  cotton  dates 
from  1786. 

It  was  brought 
out  in  the  evidence 
at  the  trial  of  the 

Arkwright  patents  in  1785,  that  a  machine  for  roller  spin- 
ning had  been  invented  in  1738  by  John  Wyatt  and  a 
patent  taken  out  in  the  name  of  Lewis  Paul,  Mr.  Wyatt's 
partner,  but  this  machine  failed  to  be  effective  and  was 
probably  lacking  in  essential  elements.  Indeed  it  is 
thought  that  this  early  machine  lacked  the  necessary  fea- 
ture of  fluted  rollers,  such  as  the  under  tier  was  in  Ark- 
wright's machine,  and  besides  it  had  no  such  combina- 
tion of  elements  as  the  perfect  machine  possessed. 

The  next  event  of  importance  in  the  cotton  manufac- 
ture was  the  invention  of  the_  mule,  or,  as  originally 
known,  the  mule  jenny,  by  Samuel  Crompton  of  Bolton, 
Lancashire,  in  1779-  This  machine  was  a  compound  of 
Arkwright's  roller  spinning  frame  and  Ilargreaves' jenny, 
from  which  circumstance  it  received  its  unique  name. 
The  mule  consisted  of  a  long  bank  of  rollers,  and  a 
movable  carriage  on  which  were  the  spindles.  The 


COTTON   AND   ITS   MANUFACTURE. 


13 


carriage  ran  in  and  out  from  the  rollers,  drawing  out 
the  yarn  on  the  outward  trip,  while  the  spindles  revolv- 
ing at  the  same  time  gztve  a  twist  to  the  threads,  and 
on  the  inward  journey  by  a  reversal  of  the  motion  the 
yarn  was  wound  on  the  spindles.  The  best  features  of 
.both  the  jenny  and  the  spinning  frame  were  thus  com- 
bined, the  result  being  a  spinning  machine  from  which 
the  best  results  have  been  obtained,  as  by  its  means 
yarns  of  unexampled  fineness,  evenness  and  strength  have 
been  produced.  Crompton  was  a  man  of  timid,  retiring 
temperament,  and  was  so  lacking  in  business  foresight 
that  he  failed  to  patent  his  invention.  He  operated  a 
little  manufacturing  establishment,  and  "though  his 
means  were  but  small,  his  economy  in  living  made  him 
always  in  easy  circumstan- 
ces." In  1812  Parliament 
granted  him  £5,000  in 
recognition  of  his  services 
as  an  inventor,  and  at  that 
time  there  were  in  opera- 
tion in  the  United  King- 
doms between  four  and  five 
million  mule  spindles. 
This  money  he  and  his  sons 
used  to  start  a  bleachery, 
but  the  enterprise  proved  a 
failure  and  Crompton  was 
reduced  to  poverty.  Some 
of  his  friends  in  1824  raised 
enough  money  to  buy  him 
an  annuity  of  £63,  but  he 
only  enjoyed  this  two  years, 
as  he  died  January  26, 
1827. 

The  mule  as  first  invent- 
ed was  only  partially  auto- 
matic in  its  action,  the  at- 
tendant, called  the  spinner, 
being  required  to  bring  out 
and  push  back  the  car- 
riage, and  guide  other  por- 
tions of  the  machine  as 
well.  In*  1792  William 
Kelly  of  Glasgow,  Scot- 
land, improved  the  ma- 
chine so  that  it  could  be 
moved  to  a  much  greater 

extent  by  power,  and  the  spinner  only  had  to  guide  the 
carriage  on  its  inward  trip.  In  1824  the  self-acting  mule 
was  invented  in  England  by  Richard  Roberts,  and  pat- 
ented in  the  following  year.  In  1830  the  inventor  obtained 
another  patent  for  an  improvement  that  still  further  per- 
fected the  machine,  and  in  principle  made  it  what  it  is 
to-day.  This  perfected  machine  did  not  come  into  gen- 
eral use  until  after  1860,  many  hand-mules  remaining 
until  that  time,  in  the  factories  both  in  Great  Britain  and 
America.  Since  then  it  has  been  greatly  improved  in  its 
automatic  character,  performing  a  great  complexity  of 
motions  and  only  requiring  attendants  to  piece  the  broken 
threads  and  supply  the  roving.  This  machine  is  the 
largest  employed  in  the  cotton  manufacture,  many  pairs 


ELI  WHITNEY, 


NVENTOR  OF  THE  COTTON  GIN 


of  mules  in  the   present  factories  containing  over  two 
thousand  spindles. 

Nothing  is  more  remarkable  in  connection  with  the 
invention  of  the  cotton  machinery  than  the  fact  that 
as  soon  as  the  necessity  arose  for  a  new  machine  to 
take  up  and  continue  the  work  of  those  already  in  exist- 
ence some  inventor  arose  who  supplied  the  want.  Thus 
the  spinning  jenny  was  a  result  of  the  greater  demand 
for  yarn  caused  by  the  invention  of  the  fly-shuttle,  and 
the  water  frame  performed  the  same  duty  which  had 
become  too  great  for  the  spinning  jenny  to  fulfill.  All 
of  the  Arkwright  machines  supplemented  each  other 
in  the  same  manner,  each  one  growing  out  of  a  demand 
created  by  its  immediate  predecessor.  These  seemingly 

providential  occurrences 
gave  rise  to  the  theory  that 
the  demand  for  any  im- 
provement will  in  the 
nature  of  things  soon  be 
followed  by  a  device  or  an 
arrangement  that  will  sup- 
ply it.  Such  a  theory  is 
not  however,  borne  out  by 
universal  testimony  or  ex- 
perience, since  both  before 
and  after  this  period  of  in- 
vention, there  have  been 
great  public  wants  in  me- 
chanics, in  society  and  in 
national  affairs  that  have 
brought  no  corresponding 
supply  to  satisfy  them.  It 
is  undoubtedly  true,  how- 
ever, that  many  mechani- 
cal devices  have  originated 
in  response  to  the  recogni- 
tion of  an  urgent  need  for 
them,  which  has  stimulated 
inventors  to  work  along 
clearly  perceived  lines,  to 
secure  particular  results. 
Two  notable  inventions, 
which  completed  the  list 
of  the  cotton  machinery, 
and  finally  rendered  the 
modern  growth  of  the  man- 
ufacture possible  —  the 

power  loom  and  the  cotton  gin  —  illustrate  this  fact  in  a 
graphic  manner. 

The  power  loom  was  invented  in  1785,  by  Rev. 
Edmund  Cartwright,  a  clergyman  of  the  English  Estab- 
lished Church.  His  attention  had  been  called  to  the  great 
desirability  of  a  machine  for  weaving,  through  a  conver- 
sation with  some  Manchester  manufacturers,  at  a  place 
called  Matlock,  in  the  summer  of  1784.  One  of  the 
company  said  that  so  much  yarn  would  be  produced 
when  the  Arkwright  patents  expired  that  there  would 
not  be  people  enough  in  England  to  weave  it  into  cloth. 
Mr.  Cartwright  thought  such  a  machine  could  be  con- 
structed, but  the  manufacturers  argued  that  it  was  impos- 
sible, and  mentioned  various  technical  difficulties  that  in 


THE   COTTON   CENTENNIAL. 


THE  PICKING  ROOM  AND  THE  BOSS  PICKER. 


their  opinion  would  render  it  impracticable.  Mr.  Cart- 
wright  was  unable  to  answer  these  objections  as  he  was 
totally  ignorant  on  the  subject,  and  had  never  seen  a  per- 
son weave,  yet  he  controverted  the  position  of  the  man- 
ufacturers and  instanced  the  chess  playing  figure  that  had 
been  exhibited  in  London,  as  an  example  of  what  com- 
plicated movements  could  be  performed  by  machinery. 
This  conversation  set  him  to  thinking  about  the  subject, 
and  although  he  had  never  seen  a  loom,  he  came  to  the 
conclusion  that  only  three  movements  were  necessary. 
He  immediately  employed  a  carpenter  and  smith  to 
construct  a  machine  embodying  his  ideas,  and  getting 
a  weaver,  he  had  it  set  at  work  as  soon  as  finished. 
Although  a  very  crude  device,  requiring  two  strong  men 
to  work  it,  the  result  was  satisfactory  as  it  did  weave  a 
piece  of  cloth.  Mr.  Cartwright  then  secured  a  patent, 
thinking  he  had  solved  the  problem,  but  after  seeing 
how  easily  the  hand  looms  then  in  use  worked,  he  very 
materially  improved  his  loom,  embodying  all  the  essen- 
tial principles  of  the  loom  as  it  now  exists.  This  was 
not  accomplished  until  1787,  when  he  took  out  his  final 
patents.  These  patents  were  not  only  for  plain  weaving 
but  also  for  checks.  Mr.  Cartwright  was  not  successful 
as  a  manufacturer,  as  he  sunk  a  large  fortune  inherited 
from  his  father,  but  he  obtained  a  grant  of  £10,000  from 
Parliament  in  1809,  in  recognition  of  his  services  as  an 
inventor.  Like  other  inventions,  the  power-loom  excited 
the  fears  of  the  work  people  that  it  would  deprive  them 
of  employment,  and  one  of  Cartwright's  establishments 
at  Manchester,  containing  500  looms,  was  destroyed  in 
1 790  by  a  mob.  Mr.  Cartwright  also  invented  a  wool 
combing  machine. 


One  very  great  difficulty  that  stood  in  the  way  of  the 
successful  operation  of  the  power-loom  at  first  was  the 
necessity  of  stopping  the  machine  every  few  minutes  to 
dress  the  warp.  Probably  the  failure  of  Mr.  Cartwright 
as  a  manufacturer  was  due  to  the 
heavy  expense  entailed  by  this  re- 
quirement. This  obstacle  was  not 
overcome  until  1803,  when  a  dress- 
ing machine  was  invented  by 
Thomas  Johnson,  a  weaver  in  the 
employment  of  Radcliffe  &  Ross, 
cotton  manufacturers,  Stockport. 
The  honor  of  this  invention,  how- 
ever, really  belongs  to  Mr.  Rad- 
clifle,  as  it  was  under  his  direction, 
with  this  end  in  view,  that  Johnson 
and  other  workmen  conducted  their 
experiments.  This  machine  ren- 
dered the  power-loom  thoroughly 
available,  as  the  warp  could  be  used 
continuously  without  stoppage  for 
any  purpose  except  piecing  or  re- 
newing the  warp  and  filling.  The 
original  dressing  machine,  like  the 
mule,  was  not  a  thoroughly  auto- 
matic machine,  but  subsequent  im- 
provements have  brought  it  to  the 
same  degree  of  perfection  as  the 
self-acting  mule,  and  these  improved 
"  dressers,"  commonly  known  as  slashers,  are  now  in 
general  use.  Substantial  improvements  were  made  in 
the  power-loom  by  H.  Horrocks,  a  manufacturer  of 
Stockport,  England,  in  1803  and  in  subsequent  years. 
Very  soon  after  the  loom  was  invented  it  was  introduced 
into  Scotland,  and  was  there  brought  to  a  high  degree  of 
perfection  sooner  than  in  England,  so  that  a  larger  num- 
ber were  for  years  in  use  there  than  in  the  original  home 
of  the  invention,  south  of  the  Tweed.  It  was  the 
"  Scotch  Loom"  that  was  introduced  into  Rhode  Island 
at  Lymansville  in  1817,  and  it  was  the  type  of  the  pre- 
vailing styles  of  American  looms. 

Vast  improvements  have  been  made  in  all  the  cotton 
machines  in  the  direction  of  making  them  self-acting  or 


Georgia.  Sea  Island. 

COTTON  STAPLE-FULL  SIZE. 


COTTON   AND   ITS   MANUFACTURE. 


automatic,  enlarging  the  scope  of  their  action  by  addi- 
tions to  the  mechanism,  and  by  readjustments  and  sim- 
plifications that  have  rendered  them  more  effective". 
Examples  of  the  first  method  have  already  been  given  in 
the  mule  and  the  dressing  machine ;  the  second  is 
illustrated  by  the  history  of  the  loom,  to  which  a  great 


and  a  graduate  of  Yale  college.  He  was  engaged  to  go 
to  Georgia  in  the  autumn  of  1792,  as  a  private  tutor,  but 
on  arriving  at  his  destination  found  that  the  situation 
had  been  filled.  Being  entirely  without  resources  this 
was  a  serious  predicament,  but  having  on  his  journey 
south  formed  the  acquaintance  of  the  widow  of  General 

Nathaniel  Greene,  the 
famous  Rhode  Island 
revolutionary  hero,  he 
was  invited  by  her  to 
make  his  home  at  her 
plantation  near  Savan- 
nah. Several  officers 
who  had  served  under 
General  Greene  visited 
the  house  soon  after, 
and  during  a  conversa- 
tion on  the  desirability 
of  a  machine  for  clean- 
ing cotton,  Mrs.  Greene 
suggested  that  Mr. 
Whitney  construct  one, 
avowing  her  belief  that 
he  would  succeed  from 
the  fact  he  had  already 


THE  MODERN  SPINNING  FRAME.     (FALES  &  JENKS.) 


variety  of  attachments  have  been  invented,  rendering 
possible  all  descriptions  of  fancy  and  pattern  weaving  ; 
while  the  third  method  has  been  applied  to  nearly. every 
one  of  the  machines. 

These  inventions  stimulated  the  demand  for  cotton  to 
a  very  great  extent,  especially  after  the  canceling  of 
Arkwright's  patents  in 
1786.  Until  near  the  close 
of  the  eighteenth  century, 
three-fourths  of  all  the  cot- 
ton used  in  England  came 
from  the  West  Indies. 
After  the  peace  of  1783, 
at  the  close  of  the  Revo- 
lutionary war,  the  rumors 
of  the  wonderful  English 
inventions,  had  the  effect 
of  inducing  the  planters  in 
the  Southern  United 
States,  to  attempt  the  more 
extended  cultivation  of  the 
cotton  plant,  which  had 
previously  been  grown  only 
on  a  small  scale  for  domes- 
tic use.  But  the  difficulty 
of  separating  the  seed  from 
the  fibre  was  so  great  that 

it  was  a  day's  work  for  one  person  to  produce  a  pound 
of  clean  staple.  Under  these  circumstances  the  exten- 
sive raising  of  cotton  for  market  was  heavily  handi- 
capped. 

In  1793,  however,  a  machine  was  invented  by  Eli 
Whitney,  which  successfully  accomplished  this  much 
desired  result.  Whitney  was  a  native  of  Massachusetts, 


made  several  mechani- 
cal   contrivances     for 

herself  and  the  children.  Soon  after,  Mr.  Whitney 
began  to  experiment  in  the  basement  of  the  house,  the 
only  persons  in  the  secret  being  Mrs.  Greene  and  Mr. 
Phineas  Miller,  who  subsequently  married  Mrs.  Greene. 
Although  he  had  very  rude  materials  and  appliances 
to  work  with,  having  even  to  draw  the  wire  he  used, 


MODERN  AMERICAN  SPINNING  MULE.    (MASON.) 


before  the  close  of  the    winter  the   machine  was  com- 
pleted and  in  working  order. 

The  new  invention  was  called  the  cotton  gin,  and  was 
very  simple  in  construction,  consisting  chiefly  of  a  cylin- 
der with  circular  saws  fitted  thereon,  and  revolving 
against  larger  cylinders  covered  with  stiff"  brushes. 
When  perfected  in  its  mechanical  adjustments  it  per- 


16 


THE   COTTON   CENTENNIAL 


formed  a  thousand  times  more  work  than  could  be  done 
by  hand.  Reports  of  the  new  machine  soon  spread, 
and  before  Miller  &  Whitney,  who  had  formed  a  partner- 
ship, could  secure  a  patent  their  shop  was  broken  into 
and  their  first  machine  carried  away,  and  although 
patents  were  finally  obtained,  yet  prolonged  contests  in 
the  courts  ensued  for  many  years  before  Mr.  Whit- 
ney and  his  partner  secured  the  fruits  of  his  invention, 
and  a  return  from  their  investments.  The  cotton  gin 
stimulated  the  cultivation  of  cotton  to  a  wonderful  extent, 
and  rendered  profitable  the  labor  of  the  slaves  on  the 
plantations. 

James  Watt  invented  the  steam  engine  in  1767-     Pre- 
vious to    that    time    a   very    imperfect   form    of  engine 
existed  and   was  used 
chiefly  for  pumping  water 
in     the    Cornwall    mines. 
Watt's    invention    was    a 
radical     departure      from 
the  principle    of  the   old 
machine,    and,    with   the 
improvements    he     after- 
ward made,  it  embodied 
the  essential    elements  of 
the  steam  engine  as  it  ex- 
ists  to-day.      Some   very 
important      modifications 
were,  however,  made  by 
other    inventors,     among 
which  were  the  compound 
engine  and  the  introduc- 
tion of  high  pressures.    In 
1774  Mr.  Watt  formed  a 
partnership  with  Mathew 
Boulton,  and   they  began 
the  manufacture  of  steam 
engines  at  the  Soho  works 
in  Birmingham.     The  in- 
vention of  the  steam   en- 
gine   and   of    the    cotton 
spinning    machinery    oc- 
curred at  the  same  time, 
and  patents  were  obtained 
for  both  in  the  year  1769. 
When    Boulton    &    Watt 
began  the  manufacture  of 
engines  the  practical  suc- 
cess of  the  cotton  machinery  had  just  been  demonstrated, 
and  as  the  manufacture  increased  in  the  next  few  years, 
it  was  soon  found  necessary  to  employ  engines  to  drive 
the  machinery  in  many  of  the  mills  where  water-power 
was  either  not  available  or  was  inadequate,  while  other 
conditions  were  propitious.     The  first  use  of  the  steam 
engine  in  the  cotton  industry  was  in  Arkwright's  mills, 
at   Nottingham,    in    1790.      James   Watt   was   born    in 
Greenock,  Scotland,  January  19,  1736,  and  lived  to  be 
83  years  of  age,  his   death  occurring  August    19,  1819. 
He  produced  many  minor  but  useful  inventions  and  also 
acquired  some  reputation  as  a  writer  and  scientist. 

The  way  in  all  directions  being  now  fully  opened,  both 
for   the   manufacture  and  for  the  treatment  of  the  raw 


JAMES  WATT, 


INVENTOR    OF    THE    STEAM    ENGINE. 


material,  the  cotton  industry,  in  its  two  phases  of  culti- 
vation and  manufacture,  increased  at  an  unprece- 
dented rate.  During  the  first  half  of  the  eighteenth 
century  Great  Britain  consumed  between  one  and  two 
million  pounds  of  cotton  annually.  The  following  years 
up  to  1786  there  was  a  gradual  increase.  From  that 
period  the  consumption  increased  enormously  until  dur- 
ing the  early  years  of  the  present  century  the  annual 
average  was  more  than  one  hundred  million  pounds. 
This  increase  continued  until  by  1850  the  importation 
had  reached  and  gone  beyond  one  thousand  millions 
every  year,  and  at  the  present  time  more  than  two  thou- 
sand million  pounds  enter  British  ports  annually.  The 
production  has  fully  kept  pace  with'  this  demand,  and  at 

the  present  time  the 
United  States  produces 
over  seven  million  bales 
annually,  aggregating  in 
weight  over  three  thou- 
sand million  pounds.  Of 
this  enormous  quantity 
the  larger  part  is  exported. 
No  other  material  in 
use  among  civilized  peo- 
ple is  used  for  a  greater 
variety  of  purposes  than 
cotton.  Its  chief  use,  how- 
ever, is  for  clothing,  and 
in  this  line  its  functions 
could  hardly  be  performed 
by  any  other  vegetable  or 
animal  fibre.  Cotton 
cloth  may  be  said  to  be 
divided  into  four  general 
classes,  each  of  which  has 
many  varieties,  namely : 
First  —  sheeting  and  shirt- 
ings ;  Second  —  lawns, 
muslins  and  fancy  pat- 
terns; Third  —  prints; 
Fourth  —  ginghams  and 
checks.  The  first  class 
includes  all  the  numerous 
kinds  and  qualities  of 
cloth  used  for  bed-linen, 
for  undergarments  and  for 
other  purposes  requiring 

a  firm,  strong  and  dense  cloth,  and  the  cloths  of  this 
class  are  plain,  without  patterns.  The  second  class  com- 
prises a  great  variety  of  so-called  fancy  cottons,  lawns 
and  muslins,  many  styles  being  in  imitation  of  linens 
arid  light  woolens,  and  others  in  all  sorts  of  intricate 
and  beautiful  patterns  woven  into  the  cloth  ;  these  goods 
have  come  into  use  to  a  great  extent  within  the  past 
twenty-five  years,  chiefly  for  women's  wear.  The  third 
class  is  formed  of  print  cloths,  or  calicoes,  which  are 
woven  plain  and  patterns  are  afterwards  printed  on  the 
outer  surfaces,  although  a  large  proportion  of  the  annual 
production  is  used  for  linings  and  miscellaneous  pur- 
poses without  being  printed.  The  fourth  class,  com- 
posed of  ginghams  and  checks,  is  distinguished  from 


COTTON  AND  'JTS  MANUFACTURE. 


17 


calicoes  by  having  the  pattern  woven  in,  instead  of  being 
printed.  Other  products  formed  of  cotton  are  sewing 
thread,  stockings,  underwear,  hats,  wadding,  lamp-wicks, 
table  cloths,  quilts,  counterpanes,  handkerchiefs,  seam- 
less bags,  cordage,  lines  and  twines,  flannel,  tape,  web- 
bing, cottonades,  jeans,  laces,  cotton  velvets  and  a  mul- 
titude of  other  goods. 
Cotton  is  also  largely 
used  in  combination 
with  wool  in  the  man- 
ufacture of  knit  under- 
wear, hosiery  and  so- 
called  shoddy  goods, 
cassimeres,  etc. 

With  the  exception 
of  the  greatly  varied 
manufacture  of  iron, 
the  cotton  industry  is 
the  most  extensive  in 
the  United  States.  In 
September,  1889,  the 
Financial  Review  es- 
timated that  the  num- 
ber of  spindles  in  the 
country  was  14,175,- 
ooo,  an  increase  of 
over  four  millions 


South  shore  of  New  England  from  New  Bedford,  by 
Fall  River,  on  Narragansett  Bay  and  along  Long  Island 
Sound,  therefore  in  the  future  as  in  the  past,  the  spinning 
and  weaving  of  cotton  will  be  concentrated  in  this  region. 
If  this  is  true,  and  the  reasons  given  are  excellent,  Prov- 
idence and  Pawtucket  are  in  the  centre  of  this  district, 

and  the  cotton  manu- 
facture has  grown  up 
in  the  region  best 
adapted  for  its  pur- 
pose. The  cotton  man- 
ufacture in  England  is 
chiefly  concentrated  in 
one  district  in  Lan- 
cashire, and  nearly  all 
the  new  mills  that 
have  been  built  for  sev- 
eral years  past  have 
been  located  at  Old- 
ham  on  the  crest  of 
a  ridge  seven  or  eight 
hundred  feet  above  the 
sea  level,  where  the 
climatic  conditions  as 
to  humidity  are  well 
adapted  to  the  manu- 


since  1880,  and  that  to 
keep      these     running 

2,767,000  bales  of  cotton  were  used.  New  England  car- 
ries on  the  great  bulk  of  the  manufacture,  as  it  is  esti- 
mated that  more  than  eightv  per  cent,  of  the  spindles 
are  located  within  her  borders.  The  chief  cotton  centres 
are  as  follows,  naming  them  in  the  order  of  their  relative 
importance:  Fall  River,  Mass.;  Lowell,  Mass.;  Provi- 
dence, Pawtucket  and  the  Blackstone  Val- 
ley ;  New  Bedford,  Mass.;  Manchester, 
N.  II.;  Lawrence,  Mass.  ;  and  Lewiston, 
Me.  On  account  of  the  cheapness  with 
which  the  raw  material  can  be  laid  down  at 
the  mills  in  that  region,  the  idea  has  found 
some  acceptance  that  the  manufacture 
could  be  carried  on  to  greater  advantage  at 
the  South  than  anywhere  else  in  the  coun- 
try. The  increase  of  spindles  in  some  of 
the  centres  there,  particularly  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  Atlanta,  Ga.,  within  the  last 
few  years,  has  led  some  manufacturers  to 
believe  that  a  movement  of  the  industry 
in  that  direction  had  already  begun.  One 
of  the  greatest  authorities  on  all  matters 
relating  to  the  cotton  manufacture,  Mr. 
Edward  Atkinson,  in  an  article  in  the  Pop- 
ular Science  Monthly  for  January,  1890, 
says  that  in  his  opinion  cotton  cannot  be 
so  successfully  manufactured  in  the  South  as  in  New 
England,  because  the  South  has  a  hot  and  dry  climate, 
while  a  large  amount  of  humidity  is  required  in  the 
atmosphere  to  spin  fine  numbers.  On  the  other  hand. 
he  thinks  that  as  the  humidity  of  the  atmosphere,  through 
the  influence  of  the  Gulf  Stream,  is  higher  along  the 


COTTON  POWER  LOOM. 


COTTON  GIN. 


facture. 

Cotton  is  produced 
in  all  intertropical  re- 
gions, both  in  the  old  and  new  world,  and  is  a  soft,  woolly, 
fibrous  material  that  is  found  enveloping  the  seeds  of 
various  species  and  varieties  of  the  genus  of  plants  known 
by  the  botanical  name,  Gossipium.  Through  differences 
in  climate  and  as  the  effect  of  cultivation,  numberless 
varieties  of  the  cotton  plant  exist,  but  the  great  botanist, 
Limseus,  only  recognized  five  species, 
although  other  botanists  have  claimed  there 
were  eight  or  ten.  A  recent  investigator 
on  this  subject,  Professor  Parlatore,  has 
found  seven  primary  species,  four  of  which, 
however,  include  all  the  varieties  usually 
cultivated.  But  for  practical  purposes  the 
best  classification  is  into  herbaceous,  shrub, 
and  tree  cotton.  The  herbaceous  is  the 
most  valuable,  as  in  this  class  are  the  varie- 
ties from  which  the  great  bulk  of  the  crop 
in  the  United  States  and  the  West  Indies 
is  obtained.  It  is  an  annual  -plant  and 
grows  from  two  to  five  feet  in  height. 
Shrub  cotton  is  grown  chiefly  in  India, 
Egypt,  Brazil  and  the  West  Indies.  In 
tropical  climates  it  is  a  biennial  or  triennial 
plant,  while  in  temperate  latitudes  it  be- 
comes an  annual.  The  cotton  tree  is  found 
in  India,  China,  Egypt,  and  the  East 
Indies.  It  grows  to  a  height  of  fifteen  to  twenty  feet,  and 
produces  a  crop  from  year  to  year,  but  its  product  as  a " 
marketable  staple  is  almost  unknown.  A  warm  and 
humid  atmosphere,  a  sandy  soil  and  nearness  to  streams, 
lakes,  or  to  the  sea,  are  necessary  conditions  to  the  best 
results  in  the  cultivation  of  cotton.  While  it  is  indige- 


18 


THE  COTTON   CENTENNIAL. 


nous  to  all  tropical  climates,  the  plant  can  be  grown 
in  the  eastern  hemisphere,  in  Spain,  Italy,  and  the  South 
of  France,  and  in  Africa  in  all  parts  of  that  continent, 
while  in  the  new  world  its  range  of  cultivation  extends 
from  Virginia  to  Southern  Brazil. 

The  cultivation  of  cotton,  like  its  manufacture,  origin- 
ated in  India,  and  from  thence  spread  over  the  rest  of  the 
world.  In  South- 
ern Europe  it 
was  introduced 
and  cultivated  in 
small  quantities 
by  the  Moors,  in 
Spain,  in  the 
tenth  century,  by 
the  Venetians  in 
the  fourteenth 
century,  and  at 
the  same  period 
by  the  Turks  in 
Roumelia  and 
Macedonia.  Tree 
cotton  was  found  COTTON 

growing       i  n 

America  when  discovered  by  Columbus,  and  the  inhabi- 
tants used  it  to  make  clothing,  tapestry,  carpets,  fishing 
nets,  and  other  articles.  Within  a  very  few  years  after  the 
settlement  of  Virginia  by  the  English,  the  cultivation  of 
cotton  was  begun.  The  year  1621  is  the  date  given  as  the 
time  when  the  first  experiment  was  made,  and  the  suc- 
cess of  the  attempt  attracted  attention,  not  only  in  the 
colony  but  in 
England.  From 
this  period  cot- 
ton was  culti- 
vated, in  a  small 
way,  "among 
the  rose  bushes 
and  honeysuckle 
vines,"  in  gar- 
dens, in  Vir- 
ginia, Louisiana, 
Georgia,  and 
the  Carolinas, 
and  was  used 
almost  wholly 
in  domestic  man- 
ufacture until 
after  the  Rev- 
olution. There 
are  records  of 
small  shipments 
of  a  few  bags  on 

each  occasion  having  been  made  from  Savannah  to  Eng- 
land in  the  years  1739,  1747,  1752)  '764,  1770,  and 
1784.  From  1784  the  exports  increased  year  by  year. 
'After  the  invention  of  the  cotton  gin  in  1793,  a  great 
impetus  was  given  to  the  cultivation  of  cotton  in  all  the 
southern  states,  and  as  the  manufacture  increased  greater 
and  greater  areas  were  constantly  put  under  cultivation. 
In  1793  the  exports  from  the  United  States  were  487, 600 


pounds;  in  i794i  1,601,700  pounds.  The  increase  from 
these  figures  has  been  continuous  and  enormous,  and  at 
the  present  time  the  exports  are  about  two  thousand 
times  as  great  as  in  1794. 

Out  of  a  total  of  twenty  varieties  of  herbaceous  cotton, 
only  two  are  cultivated  in  the  United  States, —  Sea  Island 
and  the  common  woolly  seed  cotton.  The  latter  is 

generally  grown 
throughout  the 
cotton  states.  The 
Sea  Island  cotton 
obtains  its  name 
from  the  fact  that 
it  is  mainly 
grown  on  the 
small  sandy 
islands  that  ex- 
tend along  the 
coast  of  Georgia 
andthe  Carolinas, 
the  principal 
islands  being  be- 
PICKING-  tween  Savannah 

and     Charleston. 

The  low  lands  bordering  on  the  sea  in  the  same  latitude 
also  produce  this  variety.  It  has  the  longest  and  finest 
fibre  and  most  perfect  form  of  any  known  cotton  staple, 
and  is  in  great  demand  for  spinning  fine  yarns.  On  ac- 
count of  its  excellence,  the  limited  area  on  which  it  can  be 
grown,  and  the  great  expense  of  cultivation,  it  commands 
a  comparatively  high  price.  This  cotton  has  been  spun 

into  yarn  so  fine 
that  one  pound 
would  make  a 
thread  more 
than  one  thou- 
sand miles  in 
length.  The  tip- 
land  cotton, 
grown  in  the 
highlands  o  f 
Georgia,  was 
originally  pro- 
duced from  the 
same  seed  as 
the  Sea  Island, 
and  although  it 
has  a  much 
shorter  fibre,  it 
is  still  a  very 
desirable  staple. 
The  common 
American  cot- 
ton, because  of  "  its  general  uniformity,  the  skill  with 
which  it  is  cultivated,  gathered  and  ginned,  and  the 
excellence  of  its  spinning  qualities  within  the  range  of 
counts  where  by  far  the  largest  quantity  of  yarn  is 
required,"  is  preeminently  "the  cotton  fibre."  Other 
cottons  are  classed  by  comparison  with  it  as  a  standard, 
and  their  prices  fixed  in  the  markets  of  the  world. 

In  the  United   States   there  are  about  thirty  thousand 


A  MODERN  WEAVING  ROOM. 


COTTON   AND   ITS   MANUFACTURE. 


19 


square  miles  under  cotton  culture,  in  the  following  named 
states:  Georgia,  Alabama,  Texas,  Mississippi,  North 
and  South  Carolina,  Arkansas,  Louisiana,  Tennessee, 
Florida,  Virginia,  Missouri,  Kentucky,  and  the  Indian 
Territory,  and  the  present  annual  production  is  over 
seven  million  bales,  of  which  more  than  one-half  is 
exported. 

The  planting  of  the  seed  in  the  American  cotton  belt 
takes  place  from  February  to  May,  according  to  the 
locality  and  the  season,  although  March  and  April  are 
the  usual  times  in  the  greater  portion  of  the  area.  In 
June  and  July  the  plants  bloom,  and  the  cotton  is  ready 
for  picking  in  August,  September  or  October.  The 
seed  vessel  when  ripe  bursts  open,  and  the  cotton  shows 
in  a  snow-white  ball. 
Cotton  picking  is  done 
wholly  by  negroes, 
the  men  being  able  to 
pick  from  two  hun- 
dred and  fifty  to  three 
hundred  and  fifty 
pounds  a  day,  and  the 
women  from  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  to  two 
hundred.  From  the 
field  the  lint,  as  it  is 
called,  goes  directly  to 
the  gin.  which  sepa- 
rates the  woolly  fibres 
from  the  seeds  with 
great  rapidity.  The 
cotton  is  immediately 
put  up  in  bales,  and 
is  then  ready  for  ship- 
ment to  Europe,  or  to 
the  northern  mills, 
while  the  seeds  are 
sent  to  the  oil  mills. 
The  principal  ship 
ping  ports  are  New 
Orleans,  Savannah, 
Galveston,  Charleston 
and  Mobile. 

Between  the  Mis- 
sissippi and  one  of  its 
tributaries,  the  Yazoo, 

is  an  extensive  track  of  country  6,648  miles  square, 
known  as  the  Yazoo  delta,  which  is  considered  the 
best  region  for  the  growth  of  cotton,  not  only  in  this 
country,  but  in  the  world.  At  one  end  of  it  Memphis  is 
situated,  and  at  the  other,  near  where  the  rivers  unite, 
is  Vicksburg.  There  is  room  here  for  the  entire  colored 
population  of  the  United  States.  Within  the  past  few 
years  large  numbers  have  migrated  here,  and  at  present 
they  form  seven-eighths  of  the  population,  there  being 
over  one  hundred  thousand  negroes  in  the  region. 

In  the  parish  of  New  Iberia,  twenty  miles  west  of  New 
Orleans,  the  native  population  cultivates  a  brown  or 
nankeen  cotton,  which  is  a  variety  of  the  Egyptian,  and 
they  work  up  the  product  wholly  in  domestic  manufac- 
ture, making  use  of  hand-looms  and  spinning  wheels. 


LYMAN  KLAPP, 


THE    INVENTOR   OF    THE    COTTON   OIL    MACHINERY. 


India  probably  produces  as  much  cotton  as  the  United 
States,  but  of  a  very  inferior  quality,  as  it  has  the  shortest 
staple  and  the  coarsest  fibre  of  any  known  to  commerce. 
The  bulk  of  the  crop  is  used  in  the  domestic  manufactures 
of  the  country,  being  made  into  cloth  by  the  primitive 
methods  already  described.  A  portion  of  the  annual 
yield  is  exported  to  China  and  adjacent  countries.  This 
cotton  is  also  known  by  the  name  of  Surat. 

A  very  good  quality  of  cotton  is  produced  in  Egypt, 
where  systematic  cultivation  was  begun  in  1821.  This 
cotton  ranks  next  to  the  Sea  Island  in  quality,  fineness 
and  length  of  staple,  but  it  usually  does  not  come  to  the 
market  so  well  prepared  and  cleaned  as  American  cotton. 
It  is  used  chiefly  by  English  spinners. 

In  South  America 
and  the  West  India 
islands  a  species  of 
cotton  is  grown  which 
is  usually  known 
either  as  Brazilian  or 
Peruvian.  It  comes 
between  the  Egyptian 
cotton  and  that  grown 
in  the  United  States 
in  length  of  staple  and 
fineness.  Large  quan- 
tities of  this  cotton  are 
exported  from  Brazil 
to  European  Countries. 
Cotton  is  also  grown 
in  China,  Japan,  in 
some  portions  of  Aus- 
tralia, in  many  regions 
in  Africa,  and  on 
numerous  islands  in 
the  South  Pacific. 

During  the  War  of 
the  Rebellion  in  the 
United  States,  on  ac- 
count of  the  blockade 
of  the  cotton  ports  by 
the  Federal  authori- 
ties, the  supplies  of 
the  English  spinners 
were  cut  oft" to  such  an 
extent  as  to  create  a 

cotton  famine  in  Lancashire  and  other  manufacturing  sec- 
tions in  Great  Britain.  Attempts  were  at  that  time  made 
to  improve  the  average  quality  of  the  Indian,  Egyptian 
and  other  cottons,  and  to  obtain  a  sufficient  supply  from 
those  countries,  but  although  American  methods  were 
copied,  and  American  cotton  seed  was  planted,  the  results 
were  unsatisfactory.  The  principal  difficulty  in  all 
instances  was  the  extreme  variableness  of  the  staple  pro- 
duced and  the  constant  tendency  of  the  seed  to  revert  back 
to  the  form  of  the  native  plant.  Notwithstanding  all  such 
attempts,  American  cotton  for  general  excellence  leads 
all  other  kinds,  and  takes  the  first  place  in  the  world's 
markets. 

One  of  the  most  wonderful  developments  in  connection 
with  the  cultivation  of  cotton  has  been  the  utilization  of 


20 


THE   COTTON   CENTENNIAL. 


the  cotton  seed,  and  the  growth  of  the  manufacture  of 
cotton  seed  oil.  As  early  as  1769  oil  was  extracted  from 
the  seed  and  exhibited  as  a  curiosity.  In  1833  a  cotton 
seed  oil  factory  was  established  at  Natchez,  Miss.,  but 
the  process  used  was  so  expensive  that  the  business  could 
not  be  carried  on  at  a  profit.  The  seed  was  a  waste  pro- 
duct on  cotton  plantations,  and  was  either  used  as  fuel, 
as  a  fertilizer,  or  thrown  away.  In  fact,  in  many 
instances,  it  was  a  question  of  some  importance  simply 
to  discover  how  to  get  rid  of  it.  These  conditions  were 
gradually  changed  through  means  of  the  discovery  of  a 
new  process  of  refining  the  oil,  and  by  the  invention  of 
machinery  that  sepa-  • 
rated  the  hulls  from  the 
kernals  with  economy 
and  rapidity,  both  these 
desirable  ends  having 
been  accomplished  by 
Lyman  Klapp,  of  Prov- 
idence, previous  to 
1855.  Not,  however, 
until  after  the  close  of 
the  Civil  War  in  1866 
did  the  cotton  seed  oil 
manufacture  increase 
to  any  great  extent, 
but  since  then  it  has 
grown  to  enormous  pro- 
portions, until  it  is  now 
one  of  the  principal  in- 
dustries in  the  country. 
The  material  that  is 
left  after  the  oil  is 
crushed  out  makes  an 
excellent  meal,  and  is 
put  up  either  in  a  pul- 
verized form  or  in 
cakes.  It  forms  one  ot 
the  best  and  most  nutri- 
tious foods  known  for 
animals,  for  which  pur- 
pose it  is  very  largely 
used  in  this  country  and 
exported  to  Great  Brit- 
ain and  all  the  northern 
European  countries. 
The  oil  itself  has  re- 
markable properties. 

When  refined  it  can  hardly  be  distinguished  from  olive 
oil,  and  is  considered  by  some  authorities  to  be  equal  to 
the  latter  as  a  table  oil.  This  fact  led  to  its  extensive 
exportation  to  Spain,  Southern  France  and  Italy,  where 
after  being  mixed  with  olive  oil  it  was  reshipped  to 
America  as  "pure  olive  oil."  To  such  an  extent  was 
this  practice  carried  that  in  1881  the  Italian  government 
imposed  a  duty  heavy  enough  to  be  prohibitory,  the 
effect  being  almost  to  destroy  the  trade.  Similar  duties 
have  since  then  been  imposed  by  Spain,  but  the  oil  is 
still  allowed  to  enter  the  French  ports  on  the  Mediterra- 
nean as  a  table  oil,  unmixed  with  olive  or  any  other  ;  it  is, 
however,  exported  to  all  parts  of  the  globe,  and  is  besides 


A  SPOOLING  ROOM. 

(WILLIMANTIC  LINEN   COMPANY    -  COTTON    THREAD.' 


largely  used  for  soap- making,  as  an  important  ingre- 
dient in  oleomargarine,  and  for  many  other  purposes. 
It  has  been  estimated  that  about  one-half  of  the  cotton 
seed  oil  produced  in  America  is  at  present  used  in  the 
manufacture  of  compound  lard. 

No  other  series  of  mechanical  processes  in  use  in  any 
manufacture  is  more  wonderful  than  that  by  which  raw 
cotton  is  converted  into  yarn  or  cloth.  Every  operation 
in  a  modern  factory  is  almost  wholly  done  by  the 
machines  themselves,  the  human  workers,  except  in  the 
more  important  and  intricate  processes,  being  chiefly 
attendants  or  assistants  to  the  mechanism.  The  adapt- 
ation of  all  the  machi- 
nery to  the  end  sought, 
the  way  in  which  each 
machine  or  process  car- 
ries the  work  from  its 
predecessor  to  its  suc- 
cessor, and  the  almost 
completely  automatic 
character  of  the  various 
machines,  form  a  whole 
that  exemplifies  in  a  re- 
markable degree  the 
beauties  of  mechanical 
motion,  and  at  the  same 
time  secures  results  that, 
as  compared  with  pre- 
vious accomplishments, 
far  surpass  even  any 
imaginings  of  the  hu- 
man mind.  The  cotton 
machinery  was  practi- 
cally the  first  to  be  sys- 
tem i/ed  and  brought  to 
perfection.  As  it  is 
also  probably  the  most 
perfectly  automatic  of 
any  series  employed  in 
manufactures,  its  his- 
tory is  the  most  interest- 
ing of  any,  and  it  is  the 
best  type  of  the  numer- 
ous mechanical  inven- 
tions now  in  use  in 
nearly  all  industries, 
and  which  have  ren- 
dered possible  the  im- 
mense industrial  developments  of  the  present  century. 
Unlike  any  other  fibre,  either  vegetable  or  animal, 
with  the  exception  of  silk,  cotton  can  be  manufactured 
without  any  preparation,  just  as  it  comes  from  the  cotton 
fields.  Nature  indeed  begins  the  process,  as  each  fibre 
is  slightly  twisted  on  its  own  axis.  The  average  weight 
of  a  bale,  in  which  shape  the  cotton  reaches  the  mills,  is 
nearly  five  hundred  pounds.  When  the  time  has  come 
for  the  work  to  begin,  the  first  thing  done  is  to  mix  sev- 
eral bales  together  so  as  to  secure  thorough  blending  of 
the  various  qualities,  and  in  order  that  the  unevenness  in 
different  bales,  or  in  parts  of  each  bale,  may  be  overcome. 
While  the  gins  in  the  cotton  growing  regions  have 


COTTON  AND  ITS  MANUFACTURE. 


21 


extracted  the  seeds,  and  in  a  general  way  cleansed  the 
fibre,  still  it  is  not  as  free  from  foreign  materials  as  is 
essential  to  the  successful  manufacture  Accordingly  the 
first  processes  are  designed  to  still  further  cleanse  it. 


cesses  are  conducted  by  machines  known  respectively 
as  drawing,  slubbing,  intermediate  and  roving-frames,  and 
the  cotton  passes  from  one  to  the  other  in  the  order  named. 
The  last  three  of  these  machines  are  also  called  speeders 


The  department  in  America'n  rnhls  where  the  first  sbige      or    fly-frames.      They    are  all  constructed  on  the  same 

principle  and  have  the  same  object  in  view,  namely,  the 
gradual  diminution  of  the  thickness  of  the  sliver,  which 
finally  becomes  so  elongated  as  to  require  a  small  amount 
of  twist  to  keep  it  from  breaking.  The  English  system, 
which  is  being  introduced  in  this  country  to  some  extent, 
dispenses  with  the  use  of  the  railway  head,  the  slivers 
going  directly  from  the  cards  to  the  drawing  frames. 
All  these  processes  from  the  carding  to  the  roving  are 
usually  carried  on  in  one  department,  which  is  commonly 
called  the  carding-room.  The  material  when  it  leaves 
the  last  of  these  machines  is  known  by  the  name  "  roving," 
and  is  in  condition  to  be  spun  into  yarn. 

Spinning  is  performed  by  two  styles  ef  machines,  the 
self-acting  mule  and  the  ring  spinning-frame,  whose 
functions  have  already  been  explained.  The  yarn  spun 

on  the  frame  is 
chiefly  used  for 
warps, while  the 
mule  spins  fill- 
ing or  weft, 
although  at 
times  its  pro- 
duct is  also  used 
for  warp  Fre- 
quently the  two 
kinds  of  spin- 
ning are  carried 
on  in  one  de- 
partment, and 
where  such  is 
not  the  case  they 
are  in  close 
proximity.  The 
yarn  spun  by  the 
mule  is  wound 
on  the  spindle 

which  is  "  a  cylindrical  coil  of 
In  this  shape,  after 


of  this   process  goes  on  is  the  "  picker  room,"  so  called, 
doubtless  from  the  fact  that  in  the  early  days  of  the  man- 
ufacture all  the  cotton  had  to  be  picked  by  hand  before  it 
was  carded.     The  machines  that  perform  this  work  are 
called    pickers    or    openers,     the    cotton    being   passed 
through  a  series  of  blades  or  bladed  beaters  which  separate 
the  material  into  small  flakes  and  remove  the  heavier  im- 
purities contained  in  it,  such  as  sand  and  seeds.     A  part 
of  the  same  set  of  machinery  consists  of  a  winnowing 
arrangement  by  which  the  remainder  of  the  heavier  dirt 
is  knocked  and  blown  out  of  the  cotton,  and  the  material 
is  then   delivered  in  the    form    of  a    roll    or    lap.      In 
many  mills  at  present  the  cotton  is  put  through    three 
and  sometimes  four  sets  of  pickers  and  tappers.     The 
lap    is    then  taken    to    the  card,   where    the    fibre   goes 
through    a   fur- 
ther  and    more 
thorough     pro- 
cess  of  cleans- 
ing.    This  ma- 
chine     consists 
of  a   large  cyl- 
inder     covered 
with    fine   wire 
teeth,  which  re- 
volves    against 
smaller     cylin- 
ders and  plates 
similarly 
equipped    with 
teeth.   The  cot- 
ton is  run  in  be- 
tween the  cylin- 
ders    and    the 
plates,    and    bv 
the   combing  it 

receives  from  the  delicate  teeth,  light  foreign  materials, 
such  as  leaves,  dust,  short  and  weak  fibres,  are  ex- 
tracted. The  lap  then  passes  from  the  card  in  the 
form  of  a  long,  thin  strand,  or  as  it  is  known  in 
the  factories,  a  sliver,  in  which  the  fibres  are  mainly 
parallel  to  one  another.  Sometimes,  according  to  the 
fineness  of  yarn  required,  the  cotton  is  passed  through 
two  sets  of  cards.  These  cleansing  processes  result 
in  the  removal  of  a  bulk  of  about  ten  per  cent.,  taking 
American  middling  cotton  as  a  standard.  For  yarns 
finer  than  Sos  a  process  called  combing  follows  carding, 
the  object  being  to  separate  the  long  from  the  short  fibres. 
The  attenuated  slivers  of  cotton  go  directly  from  the 
cards  to  the  railway  head,  which  combines  from  eight  to 
fourteen  strands  into  one  and  draws  them  out  to  many 
times  their  original  length.  According  to  the  fineness  of 
yarn  desired  the  drawing  is  repeated  two  or  three 
times,  and  as  a  result  the  sliver  becomes  very  even 
and  silky,  the  fibres  lie  parallel  with  each  other  and  all 
the  curl  is  taken  out  of  them.  The  next  three  pro- 


MODERN   CALICO   PRINTING. 


in  the  form  of  a  "  cop, 
yarn,  cone  shaped  at  each  end." 
steaming,  it  is  ready  for  immediate  use  in  the  loom. 
The  warp  yarn,  which  is  spun  on  to  bobbins,  has  to  go 
through  several  changes  before  it  is  ready  for  the  loom. 
These  changes  do  not  alter  the  form  or  character  of  the 
yarn,  but  only  put  it  into  a  fit  condition  and  proper  shape 
to  be  readily  available.  The  yarn  is  transferred  by  a  ma- 
chine from  the  bobbins  to  large  spools,  and  this  process 
is  called  winding  or  spooling.  These  spools  are  then  put 
in  a  warper,  as  the  machine  is  called,  and  400  or  500 
threads  of  yarn  are  wound  on  a  large  beam,  this  process 
being  called  either  warping  or  beaming.  Several  of 
these  beams  are  then  run  together,  the  combined  threads 
passing  through  a  sizing  preparation  and  over  heated 
cylinders,  and  the  threads  wound  compactly  on  a  smaller 
beam,  which  constitutes  the  weavers  warp.  The 
machines  which  perform  this  process  are  known  as 
slashers.  The  warp  beam  being  now  completed,  one 
thing  more  remains  to  be  done  before  it  is  ready  for  the 


22 


THE   COTTON   CENTENNIAL 


loom,  and  that  is  to  pass  the  threads  through  the  reed 
and  harnesses.  This  work,  which  is  done  by  hand,  is 
called  looming  or  drawing-in. 

Both  the  warp  and  the  woof  being  now  prepared, 
weaving  begins.  The  power-loom  is  a  wonderful 
machine.  It  performs  all  parts  of  the  work,  and  even 
stops  when  a  thread  of  filling  breaks.  If  plain  cloth 
is  to  be  woven,  the  threads  of  the  warp  have  been 
drawn  in  through  two  harnesses.  These  are  connected 
with  the  mechanism  in  such  a  way  that  while  one  set  is 
up  the  other  is  down,  and  the  constantly  changing 
V-shaped  space  between  is  called  the  "  shed."  Through 
this  space  the  shuttle  travels  back  and  forth,  and  the  reed, 
a  compact  framework  of  thin  steel  rods,  fastened  into 
what  is  called  the  "  lay,"  after  each  journey  of  the  shuttle, 
forces  each  thread  all  along  the  line  into  the  cloth  along- 
side of  its  predecessor.  All  looms  operate  on  the  same 
general  principle,  but  to  weave  patterns  a  number  of 
harnesses  and  shuttles  are  used,  as  the  intricacy  of  the 
pattern  demands. 

In  America  all  the  processes  from  the  mixing  of  the 
cotton  to  the  weaving  of  the  cloth  are  usually  carried  on 
in  one  factory.  A  different  system  prevails,  in  England, 
the  spinning  and  the  preparatory  processes  being  carried 
on  in  factories  similar  to  the  American  mills,  while  the 
weaving  is  done  in  one-story  structures,  commonly 
called  weaving  sheds.  A  great  deal  of  American  yarn 
instead  of  being  immediately  woven  into  white  cloth,  is 
now  used  in  making  sewing  thread,  hosiery,  webbing,  and 
for  a  variety  of  other  purposes.  Within  recent  years  in 
order  to  supply  this  demand,  which  is  constantly  on  the 
increase,  many  mills  devoted  exclusively  to  the  spinning 
of  yarn  have  been  started.  These  mills  also  supply  the 
yarn  that  is  used  in  various  descriptions  of  mixed  goods, 
and  which  has  to  be  dyed  before  being  worked  into  the 
finished  product. 

The  preparing  and  finishing  of  cotton  cloth  and  yarn 
for  the  market  involves  a  number  of  operations  that  have 
given  rise  to  three  great  allied  industries  —  dyeing, 
bleaching  and  calico  printing  —  which  have  kept  pace 
with  the  manufacture  of  the  cloth  in  the  improved 
methods  introduced.  At  the  beginning  of  the  manufac- 
ture of  cotton  by  water-power,  and  for  many  years  after, 
the  bleaching  of  cotton  cloth  was  a  long  and  tedious  pro- 
cess. After  being  put  through  some  solutions  the  cloth 
was  spread  out  on  the  grass,  and  months  elapsed  before 
the  action  of  the  air  and  the  sun  finished  the  bleaching. 
In  the  great  establishments  of  the  present  day  the  same 
results  are  obtained  in  a  few  hours.  This  wonderful 
saving  of  time  is  owing  to  the  discovery  of  how  to  pre- 
pare and  apply  chloride  of  lime,  first  effected  by  Charles 
Tennant,  of  Glasgow,  Scotland,  in  1799.  The  different 
stages  in  the  bleaching  process  are,  singeing,  soaking, 
boiling,  washing,  steeping  in  chloride  of  lime,  and  then 
repeated  washings,  and  the  mechanical  appliances  are 
only  designed  to  facilitate  the  movement  of  the  cloth  from 
one  stage  to  another. 


The  dyeing  of  cloths  has  been  successfully  practiced 
since  the  earliest  ages,  but  coincident  with  the  advances 
in  other  lines  great  improvements  have  been  made  in 
the  art  by  the  introduction  of  the  use  of  mordants  and  a 
great  variety  of  mineral  dyes.  The  printing  or  stamp- 
ing of  colors  on  cloth  is  a  very  old  art,  and  is  in  reality  a 
branch  of  dyeing.  A  knowledge  of  this  process  was 
brought  from  India  to  Europe  about  the  time  cotton  was 
first  introduced.  Originally  the  printing  was  done  with 
wooden  blocks,  on  which  the  pattern  was  engraved. 
The  blocks  were  dipped  into  the  color  and  applied  to  the 
cloth  by  hand.  Cotton  cloth  thus  treated  was  known  as 
calico,  a  name  supposed  to  have  been  derived  from  Calicut, 
a  town  in  the  province  of  Malabar,  India.  A  Scotchman 
named  Bell  discovered,  about  1785,  a  method  of  printing 
from  copper  cylinders,  on  the  outer  surface  of  which  the 
pattern  was  engraved.  This  gave  a  great  impetus  to  the 
business,  and  also  encouraged  the  manufacture  of  cotton 
cloth.  Before  the  cloth  rs  printed  it  has  to  be  bleached. 
Some  of  the  modern  printing  machines  can  put  on  from  a 
dozen  to  twenty  colors  at  once,  each  color  being  applied  to 
the  surface  of  the  cloth  by  a  different  cylinder,  and  all 
together  forming  the  pattern.  Nearly  all  the  cloth 
printed  is  afterward  dyed,  a  class  of  dyes  called  mordants 
being  used  for  this  purpose,  which  have  the  effect  of 
bringing  out  or  intensifying  and  at  the  same  time  fasten- 
ing the  color  put  on  by  the  printing  machines.  The 
finishing  process,  both  in  dyeing  and  bleaching,  is  known 
as  calendering,  and  is  performed  by  large  cylinders 
heated  by  steam,  over  which  the  cloth  passes  rapidly. 
This  has  the  effect  of  smoothing  and  straightening  the 
cloth  so  that  it  is  ready  to  be  packed  and  sent  to  market. 

The  story  of  cotton  as  briefly  outlined  in  these  pages 
is  the  most  wonderful  of  i.hat  of  any  industry.  The 
development  of  the  manufacture  was  so  unusual  as 
compared  with  any  event  that  had  preceded  it,  and  the 
cultivation  of  the  plant  spread  in  this  country  over  such 
an  extensive  area  that  both  in  Europe  and  America  as  a 
result  new  social  and  political  conditions  were  evolved. 
While  the  "factory  system,"  made  necessary  by  all  the 
processes  of  manufacture  being  combined  under  one  roof, 
has  usually  been  condemned  as  the  cause  of  many  evils, 
yet  there  is  good  reason  to  think,  as  Carroll  D.  WTright 
says,  that  it  "has  not  affected  society  as  badly  as  has 
generally  been  believed  ;  and  if  in  its  introduction  it  has 
brought  evils  to  light,  it  has  at  the  same  time  not  only 
sought  to  remove  them,  but  has  done  much  to  remove 
others."  The  opinion  has  been  advanced  that  the  inven- 
tion of  the  cotton  gin  rendered  the  labor  of  the  negro  so 
valuable  in  the  South  that  in  order  to  retain  the  profit  of 
his  services  the  war  of  the  rebellion  was  waged.  That 
there  is  some  truth  in  this  cannot  be  denied,  but  as  in  the 
case  of  the  manufacture  the  end  of  the  struggle  has  resulted 
in  a  condition  where  the  benefits  outweigh  the  disadvan- 
tages. In  a  large  sense,  this  great  industrial  development 
has  brought  immense  benefits  and  blessings  to  the  human 
race. 


CjMPTCR  II. 


SAMUEL  SLATER,  AND  THE  INTRODUCTION  OF  COTTON 

SPINNING  INTO  AMERICA. 


ATTEMPTS  or  THE  BRITISH  GOVERNMENT  TO  PREVENT  THE  ESTABLISHMENT  OF  MANUFACTURES  IN  AMERICA  —  FIRST  SPIN- 
NING JENNY  AND  EARLY  COTTON  MANUFACTURING  AT  PHILADELPHIA  —  THE  "STATE'S  MODELS"  AT  BRIDGEWATER, 
MASS. —  BEVERLY  FACTORY — BEGINNING  OF  MANUFACTURING  IN  RHODE  ISLAND  —  UNSUCCESSFUL  EXPERIMENTS  WITH 
MACHINERY  —  MOSES  BROWN  PURCHASES  THE  MACHINES  AND  STARTS  ALMY  &  BROWN  IN  BUSINESS  —  SAMUEL  SLATER 

—  His  EARLY  HISTORY  AND  TRAINING — ARRIVES  IN  AMERICA — HEARS  OF  MOSES  BROWN  AND  AT  HIS  INVITATION  GOES 
TO  PAWTUCKET  —  BUILDS  THE  ARKWRIGHT  MACHINES  FROM   RECOLLECTION,  AND  STARTS  THEM   DECEMBER   20,  1790  — 
ENTERS   INTO   PARTNERSHIP  WITH  ALMY  &  BROWN  —  THE   OLD   MILL  STARTED  —  SEWING  THREAD  FIRST  MANUFAC- 
TURED—  EXTENSION  OF  THE  MANUFACTURE  BY  SLATER  AND  HIS   PARTNERS   AT   PAWTUCKET,   SLATERSVILLE   AND   WEB- 
STER—  SLATER'S  ENTERPRISES  IN  OTHER  LINES  —  His  FINANCIAL   EMBARRASSMENT  IN  1829 — His  ENGLISH  PROPERTY 

—  VISITS  OF  PRESIDENTS  MONROE  AND  JACKSON  TO  PAWTUCKET  —  SLATER'S   MARRIAGE  —  His   FAMILY  —  THE  WILKIN- 
SONS—  SLATER  ESTABLISHES  SUNDAY  SCHOOLS  —  His  CHARACTER,  ACCOMPLISHMENTS  AND  PERSONAL  APPEARANCE. 


Accounts   of  the  wonderful    new    machines    for   the 
spinning  of  cotton  had  reached  America  within  a  short 
time   after  they    had  come    into 
use   in    England,    but   owing  to 
a    peculiar   combination    of  cir- 
cumstances they   wire    not  suc- 
cessfully   introduced    into    the 
United  States  until  more  than  a 
score    of  years  after   Arkwright 
had  obtained  his  first  patent. 

During  the  colonial  period  the 
British  Government  had  done 
everything  in  its  power  to  dis- 
courage manufacturing  in  Amer- 
ica. By  this  course  two  objects 
were  sought:  First,  to  keep  the 
colonists  in  dependence  on  the 
mother  country,  and,  second,  to 
provide  a  market  and  insure 
profits  to  English  merchants  and 
manufacturers.  While  in  a  meas 
ure  both  these  ends  were  secured, 
the  irritation  produced  was  so 
great  as  to  be  one  of  the  chief 
causes  of  the  Revolution.  Dur- 
ing the  war,  and  after  the  recog- 
nition of  the  United  States  as 
an  independent  government  in 
1783,  the  same  results  were 
sought  to  be  obtained  by  making 
it  an  offence  punishable  by  a  fine 
of  £200,  twelve  months  imprison- 
ment and  the  forfeiture  of  the 
goods,  to  export  "  any  machine, 
engine,  tool,  press,  paper,  uten- 
sil or  implement,  or  an}'  part  thereof,  which  then  was 
or  thereafter  might  be  used  in  the  woolen,  cotton  or  silk 
manufactures  of  the  kingdom,  or  goods  wherein  wool, 


BELFRY   OF  THE  OLD  SLATER  MILL. 


cotton,  or  silk  were  used,  or  any  model  or  plan  thereof." 
This  law  was  rigidly  enforced.  The  Honorable  Tench 
Coxe,  a  prominent  citizen  of 
Philadelphia,  who  had  been  a 
delegate  to  Congress  from  that 
city  and  afterward  assistant  sec- 
retary of  the  treasury,  exerted 
himself  to  a  great  extent  in  try- 
ing to  introduce  cotton  manu- 
facture at  the  North,  and  cotton 
culture  at  the  South.  In  further- 
ance of  these  designs  he  ordered 
a  complete  set  of  brass  models 
of  the  Arkwright  machinery,  but 
the  customs  officers  discovered 
them,  all  completed  and  packed, 
as  they  were  being  carried  on 
board  ship,  in  the  year  1786,  and 
in  accordance  with  the  law  they 
were  forfeited.  A  German  who 
had  in  1784  made  up  a  party  of 
English  workmen  to  go  to  Hol- 
land and  there  establish  manu- 
factures was  fined  £500.  Many 
other  attempts  to  carry  machinery 
or  take  workmen  out  of  the 
country  were  detected  and  pre- 
vented by  the  British  authorities. 
By  this  means  the  American 
people  were  for  years  effectually 
prevented  from  acquiring  a  prac- 
tical knowledge  of  the  new  in- 
ventions. 

The     first    spinning  jenny    in 
America  after  the  model  of  the 

machine  invented  by  Hargreaves  is  supposed  to  have 
been  one  constructed  by  Christopher  Tully,  which  was 
exhibited  and  operated  in  Philadelphia  in  1775.  In 


24 


THE   COTTON   CENTENNIAL 


the  early  part  of  the  same  year  "  The  United  Company 
of  Philadelphia  for  Promoting  American  Manufactures  " 
was  organized,  and  at  the  first  general  meeting  of  the 
subscribers  to  the  stock  Dr.  Benjamin  Rush,  who  had 
been  elected  president,  made  an  address.  The  manu- 
facture was  immediately 
begun,  Mr.  Tully's  ||j 
spinning  jenny,  it  is 
thought,  having  been 
secured.  November 
8th  Mr.  Coxe  became 
a  member  of  the  com- 
pany, and  from  that 
time  exerted  a  great 
influence  in  promoting 
the  success  of  the  enter- 
prise and  in  advancing 
manufacturing  in  gen- 
eral. At  the  end  of  two 
years  the  goods  manu- 
factured consisted  of 
linens  valued  at  £1,443, 
and  cottons  and  woolens 
worth  £474.  Eventually  this  business  passed  into  the 
control  of  Samuel  Wetherell,  Jr.,  who  had  been  the 
manager.  During  the  war  he  furnished  clothing  on 
contract  for  the  Continental  Army,  and  seems  to 
have  continued  as  a  manufacturer  from  that  time. 
The  Arkwright  machinery  played  no  part  in  this 
enterprise,  most 
of  the  spinning 
being  done  by 
hand,  and  the 
cloth  was  wov- 
en in  private 
houses.  In  1787 
the  "  Pennsyl- 
vania Society 
for  the  Encour- 
agement  of 
Manufactures 
and  the  Useful 
Arts "  was  or- 
ganized,  and 
seems  to  have 
been  a  revival 
of  the  "United 
Company." 
Samuel  Weth- 
erell, Jr.,  was 
chairman  and 
manager  of  the 
concern.  In  a 
report  by  him 

August  23,  1788,  it  appears  that  up  to  that  time  cap- 
ital to  the  amount  of  £1,327  had  been  paid  in,  £4S3 
had  been  expended  for  machinery,  between  two  and 
three  hundred  women  were  employed  in  spinning  yarn, 
and  "  a  carding  engine,  four  spinning  jennies,  of  40,  44, 
60  and  So  spindles,  for  spinning  cotton  "  had  been  con- 
structed and  were  in  operation,  while  26  looms  had  been 


HAND-MULF   SPINNING. 

(  From  an  old  Print,) 


set  at  work.  The  goods  produced  were  :  "jeans,  2,959?, 
yards;  corduroys,  197^;  federal  rib,  67  ;  beaver  fustian, 
57  ;  plain  cottons,  1,5674 r;  linen,  725  ;  tow  linen,  1,337^ 
— total  7,111  yards."  The  building  where  this  manu- 
facture was  carried  on  was  burned  on  the  night  of 

March  24,  1790,  the 
evidence  showing  that  it 
had  been  fired  by  an  in- 
cendiary. 

In  1786,  two  brothers, 
Robert  and  Alexander 
Barr,  Scotch  mechanics, 
were  employed  by  the 
Honorable  Hugh  Orr, 
at  Bridgewater,  Mass.,  to 
constructa  spinning 
jenny,  stock  card,  and 
roping  machine.  These 
machines  were  examined 
by  a  committee  of  the 
Massachusetts  legisla- 


CARDING, DRAWING,  ROVING  AND  SPINNING, 

AS    INTRODUCED    BY  SAMUEL  SLATER,    I79O. 

(  From  an  old  Print.) 


ture,  on  whose  recom- 
mendation £200  was 
awarded  the  brothers  for  the  purpose  of  completing  the 
machines,  and  the  following  May  they  were  awarded 
six  tickets  in  the  State  land  lottery,  in  which  there  were 
no  blanks,  as  a  reward  for  their  ingenuity.  The  cost  of 
the  machines  was  £189.  They  were  left  in  care  of  Mr. 
Orr,  who  was  allowed  to  use  them  in  consideration  ot 

explaining  their 
use  and  method 
of  operation  to 
all  who  might 
desire  to  inspect 
them  for  the  pur- 
pose of  profiting 
thereby  and  en- 
gaging in  the 
manufacture. 
The  claim  has 
been  made  that 
these  machines 
were  the  first 
spinning  jenny 
and  stock  card 
made  in  Amer- 
icaaftertheHar- 
greaves  models. 
While  this 
machinery  was 
being  construct- 
ed Thomas  So- 
mers,  who  had 
obtained  a 
knowledge  of  cotton  machines  in  England  in  1785  and 
1786,  petitioned  the  Massachusetts  Legislature  for  assist- 
ance to  construct  machinery  and  begin  the  manufacture. 
He  was  granted  £20  and  the  money  was  put  into  the 
hands  of  Mr.  Orr,  of  Bridgewater,  who  was  directed 
to  superintend  the  affair.  Mr.  Somers  constructed  an 
imperfect  form  of  the  Arkwright  water  frame,  which, 


SAMUEL   SLATER. 


25 


with  the  other  machines,  was  exhibited  by  Mr.  Orr,  and 
all  these  machines  came  to  be  known  as  the  "State's 
Models."  There  is  no  record  that  Mr.  Orr  ever  used 
these  machines  to  any  extent  in  carrying  on  the  manu- 
facture, but  persons  from  various  portions  of  New  Eng- 
land came  to  Bridgewater,  and  making  drawings  at- 
tempted the  manufacture  with  machinery  constructed 
after  these  models. 

A  cotton  factory  was  started  in  1787  on  the  Bass 
River  at  Beverly,  Mass.,  of  which  John  Cabot  and 
Joshua  Fisher  were  managers.  The  machinery  used 
here  is  supposed  to  have  been  made  from  the  State's 
Models,  although  the  managers,  in  their  petition  to  the 
Massachusetts  legislature  asking  assistance,  stated  that 
a  carding  machine  had  cost  them  $1,100  and  could  then 


cloth."  Their  intention  at  first  was  to  spin  by  hand,  but 
learning  of  the  models  in  Mr.  Orr's  possession  at  Bridge- 
water  they  obtained  drawings  of  the  machines  and  con- 
structed a  jenny  of  twenty-eight  spindles,  a  carding 
machine  and  a  spinning  frame  of  thirty-two  spindles. 
Two  Scotch  weavers,  James  McKerris  and  Joseph  Alex- 
ander, who  understood  the  use  of  the  fly  shuttle,  arrived 
in  Providence  the  same  year,  and  they  were  engaged  by 
Mr.  Anthony  and  his  partners  to  weave  corduroy.  A 
loom  was  set  up  in  a  room  in  the  "  market  house,"  where 
the  other  machinery  was  in  operation,  and  a  piece  of  cor- 
duroy was  woven  by  Mr.  Alexander,  the  warp  being 
linen  and  the  filling  cotton  spun  on  the  premises.  As 
no  one  could  be  found  who  knew  how  to  cut  the  cordu- 
roy, raise  the  pile  and  finish  the  cloth,  the  weaving  was 


VIEW  OF  THE  OLD  SLATER  MILL  IN   1840- 

LOOKING     NORTH    FROM     MAIN    STREET     BRIDGE. 


be  purchased  for  $200.  This  statement  has  given  rise  to 
•the  opinion  that  this  machine  had  been  imported,  but 
there  is  no  proof  that  such  was  the  case.  The  spinning 
machinery  consisted  of  several  jennies.  In  response  to 
their  petition  the  legislature  made  the  concern  a  grant 
of  .£1,000  in  1790  "to  be  raised  in  a  lottery,"  but  not- 
withstanding this  assistance  the  enterprise  was  not  suc- 
cessful. The  imperfection  of  the  machinery,  the  waste 
occasioned  by  the  ignorance  of  the  workmen,  and  the 
lack  of  finish  of  the  goods  as  compared  with  European 
fabrics,  all  operated  to  render  the  undertaking  a.  failure, 
and  the  business  was  eventually  discontinued. 

The  earliest  attempt  to  manufacture  cotton  by 
machinery  in  Rhode  Island  was  made  in  the  year  1788 
by  Daniel  Anthony,  Andrew  Dexter  and  Lewis  Peck, 
who  had  formed  a  partnership  to  make  "homespun 


discontinued  after  the  first  piece  was  completed,  and 
Mr.  Alexander  removed  to  Philadelphia.  Mr.  McKerris 
went  to  East  Greenwich,  where  he  worked  as  a  hand- 
loom  weaver  for  some  years. 

These  spinning  and  carding  machines,  although  they 
had  been  constructed  by  the  most  skillful  mechanics  of 
the  time  in  Providence,  were  very  clumsy  contrivances, 
so  that  Anthony,  Dexter  and  Pecksoongave  up  attempt- 
ing to  operate  them,  and  sold  them  to  Moses  Brown. 
Another  spinning  frame,  made  after  the  State's  model  at 
Bridgewater,  was  set  up  at  East  Greenwich,  but  the 
experience  with  it  was  similar  to  that  with  the  machines 
at  Providence,  and  it  also  was  purchased  by  Moses 
Brown. 

While  these  experiments  were  going  on,  John  Fuller, 
an  Irish  stocking  weaver,  set  up  a  loom  at  East  Green- 


26 


THE  COTTON   CENTENNIAL. 


wich,  but  not  finding  things  to  suit  him  there  removed 
to  Providence  and  sold  his  loom  to  Moses  and  Smith 
Brown,  who  employed  him  to  operate  it.  The  business 
was  soon  abandoned,  however,  as  it  was  found  unprofit- 
able. 

Moses  Brown  in  purchasing  all  these  machines  had 
the  laudable  desire,  as  he  himself  says,  of  "perfecting 
them,  if  possible,"  and  establishing  the  cotton  manufac- 
ture on  a  sound  basis.  Not  wishing  to  engage  directly 
in  the  management  of  the  business  he  passed  it  over  to 
his  son-in-law,  William  Almy  and  "  a  kinsman,"  Smith 
Brown,  who  carried  it  on  with  his  capital  under  the 
style  of  Almy  &  Brown.  This  firm,  as  soon  as  these 
machines  were  secured,  or  at  least  soon  after,  probably 
came  into  possession  of  the  business  that  Anthony, 
Dexter  and  Peck  had  established,  or  tried  to  estab- 
lish. The  machinery 
was  removed  to  Paw- 
tucket  with  the  idea 
of  operating  it  by 
water-power.  Almy 
&  Brown  began  busi- 
ness'June  n,  17895 
and  up  to  the  first 
day  of  January,  17901 
had  manufactured  189 
pieces,  containing 
4,556  yards  of  mixed 
cotton  and  linen 
goods.  In  1790  the 
production  continued 
at  about  the  same 
rate,  as  in  ten  months 
and  a  half  326  pieces, 
containing  7,823 
yards,  were  made,  and 
the  goods  were  known 
as  velverets,  thicksets, 
corduroys,  fancy 
cords,  royal  ribs,  den- 
ims, jeans  and  fustians. 
All  the  weaving  and 
the  greater  part  of  the 
spinning  was  done  in 

private  houses,  the  looms  and  jennies  being  placed  in  the 
cellars  or  in  apartments  on  the  first  floors.  The  two  spin- 
ning frames  were  run  for  a  short  time  after  being  taken  to 
Pawtucket,  and  150  skeins  of  cotton  yarn  had  been  made 
by  them,  but  the  expense  of  doing  this  was  more  than  the 
yarn  was  worth.  At  the  end  of  the  year  1789  the  ma- 
chines owned  by  Almy  &  Brown  were  the  two  spinning 
frames,  which  were  not  running  ;  two  spinning  jennies, 
one  of  eighty-four  and  the  other  of  sixty  spindles ;  a 
doubling  and  twisting  jenny,  and  a  stock  card.  As  has 
been  seen,  the  frames  could  only  be  run  at  a  loss, 
and  they  produced  yarn  of  a  poor  quality.  The  other 
machines  were  almost  equally  poor  and  unprofitable  to 
work.  In  effect,  Almy  &  Brown  were  carrying  on  the 
manufacture  of  cotton  by  the  methods  that  had  been  in 
use  for  many  years,  and  their  attempt  to  spin  cotton  by 
machinery  was  a  decided  failure.  They  were  not  alone 


in  this  experience,  as  no  other  endeavor  in  the  same 
business  had  been  successful.  Consequently,  during  the 
latter  part  of  the  year  1789,  although  the  Arkwright 
machinery  had  been  for  years  in  successful  operation  in 
England,  no  machine  after  the  Arkwright  model  was  or 
had  been  spinning  cotton  at  a  profit  in  the  United  States. 
This  result  was  not  due  to  a  lack  of  enterprise  but 
rather  to  the  great  difficulties  of  the  undertaking  in  the 
face  of  all  the  obstacles  that  stood  in  the  wa}1. 

While  affairs  were  in  this  condition  and  there  seemed 
no  likelihood  of  a  change,  a  young  man  who  was  destined 
to  develop  the  manufacture  was  on  his  way  from  England 
to  America.  He  came  fully  equipped  for  the  w»rk  that 
he  afterward  performed.  While  to  others  may  be 
awarded  the  credit  of  having  made  the  first  attempts  and 
experiments  in  cotton  manufacturing  by  machinery,  to 

him  alone  belongs  the 
great  honor  of  not 
only  constructing  the 
first  complete  Ark- 
wright machines  in 
America,  but  of  first 
conducting  the  manu- 
facture at  a  profit, 
developing  it  and  edu- 
cating the  pioneer 
manufacturers.  This 
young  man  was  Sam- 
uel Slater.  He  was 
born  in  the  town  of 
Belper,  Derbyshire, 
England,  June  9,  1 768, 
and  was  the  son  of 
William  Slater,  a  sub- 
stantial yeoman,  who 
owned  a  small  estate 
named  ''Holly 
House,"  cultivated  his 
own  land  and  did  busi- 
ness as  a  timber  mer- 
chant. Samuel  was 
the  fifth  son.  At  the 
age  of  fourteen,  June 
28,  1782,  he  went  to 

live  with  Jedediah  Strutt,  who,  in  connection  with 
Richard  Arkwright,  had  erected  a  factory  at  Milford, 
about  a  mile  from  Belper.  Mr.  Strutt  was  the  inventor 
of  the  ribbed  stocking  machine,  and  was  one  of  the  two 
original  partners  who  furnished  capital  to  start  Ark- 
wright's  first  factory.  For  about  six  months  young  Slater 
remained  on  trial,  and  January  8,  1783,  he  was  reg- 
ularly indentured  to  Mr.  Strutt  as  an  "  apprentice  in  the 
art  of  cotton  spinning,"  to  serve  six  and  a  half  years. 
During  the  period  of  probation  his  father  fell  from  a  load 
of  hay  and  received  injuries  that  resulted  in  his  death. 
Young  Slater  had  received  an  excellent  practical  edu- 
cation, "  wrote  well  and  was  quick  at  figures,"  which 
indeed  were  the  reasons  that  induced  his  father  to  put 
him  instead  of  the  eldest  son  with  Mr.  Strutt.  For  the 
whole  period  of  his  apprenticeship  he  applied  himself 
diligently  to  the  business,  and  developed  so  much  capac- 


JOHN   SLATER, 


BROTHER    OF    SAMUEL    SLATER    AND    FOUNDER   OF   SLATERSVILLE. 


SAMUEL  SLATER. 


27 


ity  that  the  last  four  or  five  years  he  had  a  general  over- 
sight both  of  the  manufacturing  department  and  of  the 
machine  shop,  where  the  machinery  was  constructed. 
During  the  last  two  years  of  his  apprenticeship  his  atten- 
tion had  been  attracted  by  newspaper  accounts  of  the 
prevailing  anxiety  in  America  to  have  the  cotton  manu- 


POWER-LOOM  WEAVING  EARLY  IN  THE  CENTURY. 

(  From  an  old  Print. ) 

facture  established  there,  and  he  had  evidently  carefully 
laid  his  plans  to  emigrate  as  soon  as  he  was  free.     His 
time  was  up  early  in  August,  1789.      Without  acquaint- 
ing either  his  family  or  Mr.  Strutt  of  his  ultimate  desti- 
nation,   he   left   his   home   for    London  September  ist, 
and  the  I3th  of  the  same  month  sailed  for  New  York, 
arriving  there  in  November,  after  a 
passage  of  sixty-six  days.     Previous 
to  his  departure  he  mailed  a  letter 
to  his  mother  telling  her  of  his   in- 
tentions  and    destination.     He    im- 
mediately commenced  work  with  the 
New    York     Manufacturing    Com- 
pany,  but   its  machinery  consisted 
only  of  one    card,    two   machines, 
and   two    spinning  jennies,   which 
he  did  not  consider  "  worth  using." 
Before   Mr.  Slater  had    been    in 
New  York  two  weeks  he,  through 
the  captain  of  one  of  the  Providence 
packets,  heard  about  Moses  Brown 
and    his    attempts    to    manufacture 
cotton  by  machinery.     He  wrote  to 
Mr.    Brown    December   2d,    offer- 
ing his  services  as  "  a  manager  of 
cotton  spinnings"  and  claiming  that 
he    also  could    construct   the   Ark- 

wright  machinery.  In  the  same  letter  he  said  that  he 
had  had  "  an  oversight  of  Sir  Richard  Arkwright's  works 
and  in  Mr.  Strutt's  mill  upward  of  eight  years.''  To 
this  Moses  Brown  replied  by  a  letter  dated  December 
loth,  inviting  Mr.  Slater  to  come  to  Providence,  and 
promising  to  give  him,  if  he  should  perfect  the  machines 
and  run  them  successfully,  all  the  profit  "  over  and  above 


the  interest  on  the  money  they  cost,  and  the  wear  and 
tear  of  them  for  six  months,"  and  also  holding  out  to  him 
the  inducement  of  having  "the  credit  as  well  as  the 
advantage  of  perfecting  the  first  water  mill  in  America." 
Mr.  Slater  left  New  York  for  Providence  early  in 
.January  1790,  and  the  iSth  of  the  month,  in  company 
with  Moses  Brown,  he  went  to  Paw- 
tucket.  When  he  saw  the  ma- 
chines in  Almy  &  Brown's  shop 
he  at  once  pronounced  them  unfit 
for  the  work,  and  also  said  that 
they  could  not  be  made  perfect.  He 
thereupon  undertook  to  construct 
the  Arkwright  series  of  machines, 
and  an  agreement  was  made  that  he 
was  to  receive  one  dollar  per  day 
for  his  services,  and  have  a  man  to 
assist  him,  who  was  to  be  put  under 
bonds  not  to  steal  the  patterns  or 
disclose  the  nature  of  the  work. 
Sylvanus  Brown,  a  skilled  mechanic, 
was  engaged  as  the  assistant,  and 
he  and  Mr.  Slater,  behind  Ipcked 
doors  and  screened  windows  in  a 
small  building  on  the  easterly  side 
of  the  present  East  Avenue,  then 
known  as  Quaker  Lane,  began 

their  task.  Owing  to  the  law  already  referred  to,  pro- 
hibiting the  exportation  of  plans  or  models  of  machin- 
ery from  Great  Britain,  he  had  to  rely  entirely  on  his 
memory  in  the  work  of  construction,  as  the  only  docu- 
ment he  had  brought  with  him  from  England  was  his 
indenture  with  Mr.  Strutt.  For  the  direction  of  Sylva- 


CALICO  PRINTING  EARLY  IN  THE  CENTURY. 

(  From  an  old  Print. ) 

nus  Brown  he  made  drawings  with  chalk  on  wood  of 
the  Arkwright  machines  as  he  remembered  them,  and 
slowly,  piece  by  piece,  the  first  frames  were  constructed. 
When  the  work  had  progressed  sufficiently  to  show 
that  Slater  understood  what  he  was  about  a  new  agree- 
ment was  drawn  up.  This  was  dated  April  5,  1790,  and 
practically  formed  a  partnership  between  William  Almy, 


28 


THE   COTTON   CENTENNIAL. 


Smith  Brown  and  Samuel  Slater,  for  the  purpose  of  en- 
gaging in  "  the  spinning  of  cotton  by  water."  That  this 
agreement  was  insisted  upon  hy  Mr.  Slater  as  a  condition 
of  proceeding  with  the  work  is  quite  likely.  Many  indi- 
cations lend  color  to  the  opinion  that  his  ability  to  con- 
struct the  machinery  was  doubted  at  first.  He  was  a 
very  young  man,  only  21  years  of  age,  and  the  fact  that 
he  had  no  documentary  evidence  except  his  indenture  to 
substantiate  his  claim  naturally  caused  distrust.  Moses 
Brown  asked  Sylvanus  Brown,  in  whose  house  Mr. 
Slater  passed  his  first  night  in  Pawtucket,  and  who  had 
drawn  him  into  conversation  on  the  subject :  "  Does  the 
young  man  seem  to  know  anything  about  spinning  cot- 
ton?" The  reply  was  that  he  had  great  confidence  in 
himself  and  seemed  to  understand  a  great  deal  about  the 
matter.  The  agreement  of  April  5th  shows  that  this  dis- 
trust still  existed,  by  using  the  following  language  when 
speaking  of  the  spinning  of  cotton  :  "  of  which  the  said 
Samuel  professes  himself  a  workman  well  skilled  in  all 
its  branches."  By  this  agreement  Mr.  Slater  undertook 
to  build  "  two  carding  machines,  a  breaker,  and  a  fin- 
isher ;  a  drawing  and  roving  frame ;  and  to  extend 
the  spinning  mills  or  frames  to  one  hundred  spindles." 
He  was  to  receive  one-half  of  the  profits  after  every  ex- 
pense arising  from  the  business  was  defrayed,  including  a 
commission  of  z£  per  cent,  for  purchasing  the  stock  and 
4.  per  cent,  for  disposing  of  the  yarn,  and  was  also  "to 
be  at  the  expense  of  his  own  time  and  board."  Almy 
&  Brown  .were  to  turn  in  all  the  clumsy  and  defective 
machines  they  had  acquired  "  at  the  price  they  cost 
them,"  and  were  to  furnish  the  material  for  the  building 
of  the  new  machinery,  but  Slater  was  to  be  accountable 
for  one-half  of  all  the  expense  "that  hath  arisen  or  shall 
arise"  from  the  building  of  the  machinery  or  the  con- 
ducting of  the  business  in  all  its  phases.  He  was  also 
bound  not  to  dispose  of  his  share  or  any  part  thereof  to 
any  one  without  the  consent  of  the  other  partners  in 
writing  ;  but  after  he  had  paid  one-half  of  the  cost  of  the 
machinery  with  interest  he  could  sell  out,  provided  he 
first  offered  his  portion  to  Almy  &  Brown  "  in  writing, 
upon  the  lowest  terms."  Almy  &  Brown  were  to  pur- 
chase the  stock  and  sell  the  yarn,  but  for  this  they  were 
to  receive  commissions,  as  above  stated. 

While  this  agreement  gave  Mr.  Slater  a  definite  stand- 
ing, as  he  became  a  partner  instead  of  an  employe,  it 
was  not  especially  favorable  to  him.  He  assumed  a 
much  greater  risk  than  the  other  partners.  Not  only  did 
his  wages  depend  entirely  on  his  success,  but  if  he 
failed  he  would  be  in  debt  for  his  living  expenses  and, 
more  than  all,  he  would  be  dishonored  and  discredited. 
The  other  partners  only  risked  their  money.  They 
were  to  be  paid  for  their  individual  labor,  were  to  re- 
ceive one-half  the  profit,  and  were  to  be  repaid  by  Slater 
one-half  the  cost  of  the  useless  experimental  machinery. 
To  accept  such  conditions  Slater  must  have  had  great 
confidence  in  himself  and  in  the  future  of  the  industry. 
He  was  amply  justified  by  the  results.  From  an  old  ac- 
count, dated  December  3,  1792,  it  appears  that  in  accord- 
ance with  this  agreement  Mr.  Slater's  share  of  the  pro- 
ceeds of  the  business  for  less  than  two  years  of  actual  man- 
ufacturing amounted  to  more  than  four  hundred  pounds. 


The  constructing  of  the  machines  occupied  much  more 
time  than  was  at  first  anticipated.  Not  until  the  2oth  of 
December  was  everything  completed  so  that  the  whole 
series  could  be  operated.  This  delay  was  not  at  all  sur- 
prising in  view  of  the  entire  absence  of  models  or  plans. 
Even  tools  to  work  with  could  not  readily  be  obtained, 
but  had  to  be  made  by  Mr.  Slater,  or  under  his  direction. 
The  principal  difficulty  was  with  the  cards.  "  After  the 
frames  were  ready  for  operation,  he  prepared  the  cotton, 
and  started  the  cards  ;  the  cotton  rolled  up  on  the  top 
cards  instead  of  passing  through  the  small  cylinder." 
This  failure  disturbed  Mr.  Slater  exceedingly,  so  that 
for  many  days  the  Wilkinson  family  where  he  boarded 
thought  he  was  sick.  He  realized  that  if  this  machine 
would  not  work  he  would  be  thought  an  imposter,  while 
nearly  a  year's  labor  would  be  thrown  away.  After  con- 
sulting with  Phinney  Earl,  a  mechanic  who  had  con- 
structed the  machine  under  his  direction,  it  was  perceived 
that  the  teeth  of  the  cards  were  not  crooked  enough,  and 

o      ' 

the  general  finish,  on  account  of  clumsy  tools  and  poor 
material,  was  very  defective.  By  beating  the  teeth  with 
a  piece  of  grindstone  they  were  given  the  proper  incli- 
nation, and  when  the  machine  was  started  it  worked 
successfully 

This  incident,  having  something  of  the  character  of  a 
dramatic  climax,  gave  rise  to  the  story  that  the  way  to 
perfect  the  machinery  was  revealed  to  Mr.  Slater  in  a 
dream.  Wide  credence  was  given  to  this  story,  and  it 
became  a  fireside  tradition.  Mr.  Slater,  however,  denied 
it,  and  gave  the  facts  to  his  biographer  substantially  as 
above  stated. 

The  machinery  that  was  started  December  20,  1790, 
consisted  of  three  cards,  drawing  and  roving  machines, 
and  two  spinning  frames,  one  of  twenty-four  and  the 
other  of  forty-eight  spindles.  In  an  old  building,  situated 
on  the  southwest  abutment  of  Pawtucket  bridge,  which 
had  been  used  as  a  fulling  mill,  and  was  furnished  with 
a  water-wheel,  the  machine  purchased  from  David  An- 
thony, Andrew  Dexter  and  Lewis  Peck  by  Moses  Brown, 
had  been  set  up  by  Almy  &  Brown,  before  Mr.  Slater's 
arrival.  In  this  same  structure  the  new  machinery  was 
started  and  continued  in  operation  about  twenty  months. 
This  edifice  was  washed  away  by  the  great  freshet  of 
February  15,  1807. 

So  much  yarn  was  produced  by  the  improved  method 
of  spinning  that,  in  the  latter  part  of  the  year  1792, 
although  "  every  exertion  had  been  made  to  weave  it  up 
and  sell  it,"  several  thousand  pounds  were  on  hand. 
Moses  Brown,  with  characteristic  prudence,  wished  to 
stop  work  for  awhile  when  about  five  hundred  pounds 
had  accumulated,  as  he  was  afraid  that  Slater  would  spin 
all  his  farms  into  cotton  yarn.  In  deference  to  his  wishes 
it  is  probable  that  the  machines  remained  idle  for  some 
time  between  the  expiration  of  the  "  twenty  months" 
that  they  were  operated  in  the  old  fulling  mill,  and  the 
starting  of  the  old  factory.  The  first  week  Mr.  Slater 
set  four  persons  at  work, — Arnold  and  Charles  Torpen, 
Smith  Wilkinson  and  Jabez  Jenks  ;  the  following  week 
four  more  were  employed,  Ennise  Torpen,  John  and 
Varnus  Jenks,  and  Otis  Borrows  ;  the  third  week  Ann 
Torpen  commenced,  and  the  fourth  week  the  same  nine 


SAMUEL  SLATER. 


29 


were  employed.  Thus,  at  first,  the  entire  cotton  manu- 
facture by  the  Arkwright  machinery  in  America  was 
carried  on  by  Mr.  Slater  and  nine  assistants,  who  were 
nearly  all  young  children. 

The  water-wheel  in  the  old  fulling  mill  was  so  exposed 
during  the  two  winters  the  manufacture  was  carried  on 
in  that  building  that  it  was  frequently  frozen,  and  on 
these  occasions  Mr.  Slater  would  spend  several  hours 
breaking  the  ice.  In  this  way  he  laid  the  foundation 
for  rheumatism  and  other  chronic  disorders  that  afflicted 
him  in  his  later  years.  Early  in  the  year  i793i  Almy, 
Brown  &  Slater  began  the  erection  of  a  factory  spec- 
ially designed  for  the  business.  On  the  twelfth  of 
July  the  machinery  was  set  in  motion.  This  was 
the  first  cotton  mill  on  the  American  continent  in 
which  all  the  processes  of  the  improved  Arkwright  cot- 
ton-spinning and  preparatory  machinery  were  carried  on 
under  one  roof  with  proper  detail  and  completeness. 
The  same  machinery  was  used  that  had  been  run  in  the 
old  f u  1 1  i  n  g 
mill,  but  more 
spindles  were 
added  as  the 
sales  of  yarn 
increased. 
This  factory, 
which  has 
been  famous 
for  many  years 
as  the  "  Old 
Slater  Mill," 
still  stands  in 
Pawtucket, 
but  not  as  it 
at  first  ap- 
peared. Sev- 
eral times  it 
has  been  en- 
1  a  r ge  d  in 
height,  width 
and  length, 

and  the  original  timbers  and  frame  form  part  of  the 
existing  edifice.  It  is  quite  likely  that  the  dyeing, 
bleaching  and  finishing  of  yarns  and  cloth  were  carried 
on  in  this  building,  as  these  branches  were  all  necessary 
parts  of  the  manufacture.  The  weaving,  however,  was 
all  done  in  private  houses  on  hand  looms,  the  cloth  being 
returned  to  the  factory  to  be  dyed  or  finished.  Yarn 
was  sold  to  weavers  in  the  adjacent  parts  of  Rhode  Island, 
Massachusetts  and  Connecticut.  It  is  said  that  it  was  in 
the  old  mill  in  the  year  1794  that  the  first  cotton  sewing 
thread  was  manufactured.  Mrs.  Slater  called  her  hus- 
band's attention  to  the  beauty  and  evenness  of  the  yarn 
made  from  some  Sea  Island  cotton,  and  suggested  that  it 
could  be  made  into  a  good  sewing  thread.  The  experi- 
ment was  tried,  and  a  good  strong  thread  was  made 
which,  when  tested,  was  found  to  be  stronger  than  a 
linen  thread.  From  this  beginning  the  business  spread 
to  other  countries,  but  Pawtucket  has  always  been  a 
centre  of  the  thread  manufacture. 

In  company  with  Oziel  Wilkinson,  his  father-in-law. 


VIEW  OF  A  MODERN  CARDING  ROOM 


Timothy  Green  and  William  Wilkinson,  also  sons-in-law 
of  Oziel  Wilkinson,  Mr.  Slater  formed  the  firm  of  Sam- 
uel Slater  &  Company  in  1798,  in  which  he  held  a  half 
interest.  The  erection  of  a  mill  was  soon  after  begun  on 
the  east  side  of  the  river  almost  opposite  the  first  factory, 
but  the  machinery  was  not  started  until  some  time  in 
1801.  This  was  the  first  spinning  mill  in  Massachusetts 
that  operated  successfully  the  Arkwright  machinery ; 
consequently  to  Slater  belongs  the  credit  of  starting  the 
first  mills  in  both  Rhode  Island  and  Massachusetts.  Mr. 
Slater  was  superintendent  of  both  mills,  and  received  in 
each  case  a  dollar  and  a  half  per  day  for  his  services, 
making  his  wages  three  dollars.  He  attended  strictly  to 
his  business,  and  it  is  said  that  for  twenty  years  he  labored 
sixteen  hours  daily.  Mr.  Slater  sold  out  his  interest  in 
this  factory,  which  was  commonly  known  as  the  White 
Mill,  in  1810,  to  the  other  partners,  who  conducted  the 
business  under  the  style  of  Wilkinson,  Greene  &  Com- 
pany. The  mill  was  burned  in  1824  but  was  rebuilt 

by  Timothy 
Greene  & 
Sons. 

John  Slater, 
a  brother  of 
Samuel,  ar- 
rived from 
England  in 
1803.  He 
brought  with 
him  a  knowl- 
edge of  the 
spinning  mule 
invented  by 
Crompton. 
In  1805  a  new 
enterprise  was 
proj  ec  ted  , 
Almy,  Brown, 
and  the  two 
Slaters  each 
taking  a  fourth 

interest,  and  during  1806  the  erection  of  a  mill  was 
begun  in  the  northern  part  of  the  State  on  the  south 
branch  of  the  Blackstone  River.  The  mill  was  finished 
and  began  operations  in  1807,  John  Slater  being  super- 
intendent. This  was  the  beginning  of  the  village  of 
Slatersville.  John  Slater  eventually  bought  out  all  the 
other  partners,  and  the  mills  and  village  are  now  the 
property  of  his  grandson  John  W.  Slater. 

In  1811,  in  company  with  a  young  man  named  Bela 
Tiffany,  who  had  been  in  his  employ  a  number  of  years, 
Samuel  Slater  started  a  cotton  factory  at  Oxford, 
Mass.,  now  known  as  Webster,  situated  about  thirty- 
five  miles  northwest  from  Providence.  An  excel- 
lent water-power  was  furnished  by  French  River  and 
several  ponds.  At  first  the  business  was  conducted  under 
the  name  of  Slater  &  Tiffany,  but  soon  came  wholly  into 
Mr.  Slater's  possession,  and  ultimately  was  carried  on 
under  the  style  of  Samuel  Slater  &  Sons.  The  prop- 
erty in  1817  consisted  of  one  cotton  factory  of  2,000 
spindles,  a  woolen  mill,  a  grist  and  saw  mill,  sixteen 


30 


THE  COTTON   CENTENNIAL. 


dwelling  houses  and  700  acres  of  land.  In  1831  the 
cotton  manufacturing  plant  had  increased  to  6,000  spin- 
dles and  90  looms,  180  hands  were  employed,  and  i5>°°o 
yards  of  yarn  were  produced  weekly  besides  large  quan- 
tities of  satinet  warp  and  sewing  thread.  Broadcloths, 
cassimere  and  satinets  were  woven  and  180,000  pounds 
of  wool  were  consumed  yearly.  During  his  later  years 
Mr.  Slater  spent  the  greater  part  of  his  time  at  Web- 
ster, Mass.,  where  he  died  April  21,  1835,  in  his  6yth 
year.  Through  Mr.  Slater's  influence  three  villages  that 
had  grown  up  from  his  enterprise,  together  with  some 
territory  from  the  towns  of  Dudley  and  Oxford,  were  in 
1832  incorporated  as  the  town  of  Webster,  and  named 
after  Daniel  Webster.  Webster  is  still  in  the  hands  of 
the  Slater  family,  H.  N.  Slater,  grandson  of  Samuel, 
being  the  president  of  both  the  cotton  and  woolen  com- 
panies that  carry  on  business  in  the  place. 

The  war  of  1812,  by  shutting  out  foreign  goods,  gave 
a  great  impetus  to  domestic  manufacture,  and  as  Mr. 
Slater  had  all  his  various  enterprises  well  under  way,  he 
was  enabled  to  reap  great  advantage.  Cotton  cloth  sold 
at  forty  cents  a  yard,  and  the  demand  was  unlimited. 
Besides  the  interests  he  possessed  in  the  mills  already 
mentioned  he  invested  capital  in  the  woolen  and  iron 
manufacture  and  in  various  other  ways.  In  1822  with 
Willard  Sayles  and  Lyman  Tiffany  of  Boston,  Oliver 
Dean  of  Franklin  and  Pitcher  &  Gay  of  Pawtucket,  Mr. 
Slater  formed  a  company,  purchased  an  estate  consisting 
of  a  small  cotton  mill,  several  tenements  and  a  fine  water- 
privilege  at  Amoskeag  Falls,  on  the  Merrimack  River. 
This  was  the  foundation  of  the  well-known  Amoskeag 
Manufacturing  Company,  and  the  real  beginning  of  the 
great  manufacturing  city  of  Manchester,  N.  H.  Pre- 
vious to  engaging  in  this  enterprise  Mr.  Slater,  with  his 
wife  and  his  son  Horatio  -N.,  had  visited  Amoskeag 
Falls  with  a  view  of  purchasing  the  property,  and  on  the 
journey  thither  passed  through  Chelmsford  where  he 
saw  laborers  at  work  blasting  rocks  and  laying  the 
foundations  for  the  future  city  of  Lowell.  In  July,  1823, 
the  cotton  mill  at  Jewett  City,  Conn.,  which  had  been 
started  in  1813  but  had  not  been  operated  successfully, 
was  purchased  by  Samuel  and  John  Slater, who  carried  on 
the  business  successfully.  Samuel  Slater  sold  his  interest 
in  this  property  July  10,  1831,  to  his  brother  John,  in 
whose  family  it  is  still  owned.  Mr.  Slater  was  "a 
principal  agent  in  promoting  the  famous  road  from 
Pawtucket  to  Providence,  the  Gore  turnpike  to  Webster, 
and  the  Worcester  and  Norwich  turnpike,  and  was  in 
favor  of  the  project  of  the  Norwich  and  Worcester  Rail- 
road." His  name  stands  first  in  the  original  charter  of 
the  Pawtucket  Institution  for  Savings,  granted  in  1828. 

Mr.  Slater's  business  continued  to  increase  constantly. 
Such  was  the  careful  manner  in  which  he  conducted  his 
affairs  that,  although  he  was  doing  an  enormous  business 
for  the  times,  he  did  not  owe  a  thousand  dollars,  while 
he  had  fifty  thousand  in  mortgages  on  real  estate.  Dis- 
aster, however,  overtook  him  during  the  financial  crisis 
of  1829  when,  on  account  of  the  failure  of  a  number 
of  concerns  in  Pawtucket,  principally  his  first  wife's 
relatives,  the  Wilkinsons,  whose  paper  he  had  heavily 
indorsed,  he  was  obliged  to  ask  for  an  extension  of  time. 


His  partner,  William  Almy.  had  hesitated  about  giving 
him  assistance,  and  this  Mr.  Slater  construed  as  a  refusal. 
A  meeting  of  wealthy  men  was  held  in  Providence,  at 
which  Mr.  Slater  gave  an  inventory  of  his  property, 
which  amounted  to  $690,000,  while  he  was  liable  for 
about  $300,000.  Through  the  efforts  of  Cyrus  Butler, 
Brown  &  Ives,  Moses  Brown,  and  others,  an  arrange- 
ment was  made  whereby  he  could  go  on  with  his  busi- 
ness. He  sold  his  third  in  the  Old  Mill  at  Pawtucket 
and  his  fourth  in  the  Slatersville  property  to  William 
Almy.  In  a  much  shorter  time  than  was  expected  he 
settled  his  affairs  and  paid  off  his  indebtedness,  but  at 
the  cost  of  a  very  considerable  loss  of  property.  The 
incidents  connected  with  this  affair  tried  Mr.  Slater 
severely,  and  in  the  opinion  of  Mr.  White,  his  biog- 
rapher, "  his  mind  and  feelings  were  very  essentially 
affected,  and  he  never  fully  recovered  his  tone  and  assur- 
ance." He  afterwards  repurchased  his  interest  in  the 
Slatersville  property  and  in  1833  ne  an<^  h's  brother 
bought  out  Almy  &  Brown's  interest. 

In  1827,  Mr.  Slater  in  company  with  others  started  a 
mill  in  Providence,  containing  seven  or  eight  thousand 
spindles,  and  operated  it  with  a  steam  engine.  This  was 
the  first  mill  of  the  kind  in  the  state  and  one  of  the  first 
in  the  country,  and  it  was  commonly  known  as  the 
"  Steam  Mill,"  until  very  recently.  On  account  of  the 
complication  of  his  affairs  in  1829,  as  no  one  would 
purchase  this  mill  and  those  at  Wilkinsonville,  in  Sutton, 
Mass.,  in  which  he  was  interested  in  company  with 
David  Wilkinson,  Mr.  Slater  found  it  necessary  to  take 
these  concerns  entirely  into  his  own  hands.  The 
"  Steam  Mill"  proved  successful  and  after  1830  experi- 
enced judges  said  'that  it  produced  the  finest  goods  in  . 
the  country. 

Slater  was  possessed  of  property  in  England  valued 
at  $2,000,  which  was  his  portion  of  the  estate  left  by  his 
father.  This  property,  consisting  of  two  houses  in  Bel- 
per,  he  retained  in  his  possession  for  some  years  after 
coming  to  America.  On  one  occasion  a  box  of  clothing 
sent  him  in  payment  for  the  rent  of  one  of  these  build- 
ings was  detained  at  New  York  on  account  of  the  duty 
not  being  paid,  and  this  incident  gave  rise  in  some  way 
to  the  story  that  an  attempt  had  been  made  to  assassin- 
ate Mr.  Slater  by  sending  him  an  infernal  machine  from 
England. 

While  on  a  tour  of  New  England  in  1817  President 
Monroe  visited  the  Old  Mill.  He  was  received  by  Mr. 
Slater,  who  exhibited  the  machines  and  explained  the 
methods  of  manufacture  to  him  and  his  suite.  Presi- 
dent Jackson  visited  Pawtucket  during  his  first  term  of 
office.  Slater  at  the  time  was  laid  up  with  rheumatism, 
a  consequence  of  exposure  in  starting  the  water-wheel  of 
his  first  machinery.  After  viewing  the  machinery  the 
President  went  to  Slater's  house  to  show  respect  to  the 
man  whom  he  called  the  "Father  of  American  Manu- 
factures." The  following  unique  conversation  is  said  to 
have  occurred  :  "  I  understand,"  said  the  President,  "  you 
taught  us  how  to  spin,  so  as  to  rival  Great  Britain  in  her 
manufactures ;  you  set  all  these  thousands  of  spindles 
at  work,  which  I  have  been  delighted  in  viewing,  and 
have  made  so  many  happy  by  a  lucrative  employment." 


SAMUEL  SLATER. 


31 


"  Yes,  sir,"  said  Slater,  "  I  suppose  that  I  gave  out  the 
psalm,  and  they  have  been  singing  to  the  tune  ever 
since."  "  We  are  glad  to  hear  also  that  you  have  realized 
something  for  yourself  and  family  ,"  said  the  vice-presi- 
dent. "  Yes,  sir,  I  have  obtained  a  competency."  "We 
are  all  glad  to  hear  that."  "  So  am  T  glad  to  know  it," 
said  Slater,  "  for  I  should  not  like  to  be  a  pauper  in  this 
country,  where  they  are  put  up  at  auction  to  the  lowest 
bidder." 

The  Old  Mill,  at  Pawtucket,  from  the  first  was  the 
point  to  which  a  great  many  English  mechanics  directed 
their  steps  as  soon  as  they  arrived  in  America.  Slater 
always  befriended  them,  procured  them  immediate  em- 
ployment if  possible,  furnished  them  with  money  to  go 
to  other  places  and  in  general  acted  as  a  directing  spirit 
and  counselor.  Not  only  to  his  fellow  countrymen  were 
these  qualities  displayed,  although  naturally  to  them  his 
heart  was  warmer,  but  to  all  who  were  struggling  to  ob- 
tain a  foothold  in  this  work-a-day  world  he  was  ready  to 
extend  assistance.  At  the  same  time  he  was  no  believer 
in  the  indiscriminate  and  unwise  charity  that  tends  to 
destroy  self  respect  and  make  dependent  paupers.  He 
has  been  quoted  as  saying:  ''Direct  charity  places  its 
recipient  under  a  sense  of  obligation  which  trenches 
upon  that  independent  spirit  that  all  should  maintain. 
It  breaks  his  pride,  and  he  soon  learns  to  eat  the  bread 
of  idleness  without  a  blush.  But  employ  and  pay  him 
and  he  receives  and  enjoys  with  honest  pride  that  which 
he  knows  he  has  earned,  and  could  have  received  for  the 
same  amount  of  labor  from  any  other  employer." 

When  he  first  arrived  at  Pawtucket  in  1790,  Moses 
Brown  introduced  Mr.  Slater  to  Oziel  Wilkinson,  at 
whose  house  he  went  to  board.  Mr.  Wilkinson  had  five 
sons  and  several  daughters.  When  Moses  Brown  brought 
Slater  to  the  house  two  of  the  daughters,  Martha  and 
Hannah,  were  at  home.  Impelled  by  a  feeling  of  modesty 
they  ran  out  of  the  room ;  "  but  Hannah  lingered 
with  curiosity  and  looked  through  an  opening  in  the 
door.  Samuel  saw  her  eyes  and  was  interested  in  her 
favor.  He  loved  at  first  sight,  but  it  was  sincere,  it  was 
permanent ;  nothing  but  death  could  have  severed  the 
ties  which  endeared  him  to  Hannah  Wilkinson."  Her 
parents  being  Quakers  they  did  not  at  first  wish  to  con- 
sent to  their  daughter  marrying  out  of  their  own  sect, 
and  thought  of  sending  her  away  to  school,  but  Slater 
discovering  their  intention  said:  "You  may  send  her 
where  you  please  but  I  will  follow  her  to  the  ends  of  the 
earth."  Martha,  the  elder  sister,  when  she  saw  that  the 
young  Englishman  preferred  Hannah,  was  very  much 
vexed  and  said  to  her  mother  that  it  would  be  disgrace- 
ful for  her  sister  to  marry  any  one  not  a  member  of  the 
society  of  Friends.  To  this  the  mother  quaintly  replied, 
"Martha,  thee  is  only  mad  because  Samuel  does  not 
want  thee,  thyself."  Samuel  Slater  and  Hannah  Wil- 
kinson were  married  October  2,  1791,  after  the  cotton 
machinery  was  an  assured  success.  Nine  children  were 
born  to  them:  William,  August  31,  1796,  died  Jan- 
uary i,  1801  ;  Elizabeth,  November  15,  1798;  Mary, 
September  28,  1801  ;  Samuel,  September  28,  1802 ; 
George  Bassett,  February  12,  1804  ;  John,  May  23,  1805  ; 
Horatio  Nelson,  March  5,  1808;  William,  October  15, 


1809;  Thomas  Graham,  September  19,  1812.  Within 
two  weeks  after  the  birth  of  Thomas  Graham,  Mrs. 
Slater  died,  October  2,  1812,  aged  37  years,  9  months 
and  17  days.  Five  years  later,  November  21,  1817,  Mr. 
Slater  married  Mrs.  Esther  Parkinson,  widow  of  Robert 
Parkinson,  of  Philadelphia.  She  had  for  years  been  an 
acquaintance  of  the  family  and  was  a  valued  friend  of 
the  first  Mrs.  Slater.  There  were  no  children  by  this 
marriage,  but  it  resulted  happily,  and  the  second  wife 
proved  a  good  and  worthy  mother  to  the  children.  She 
survived  her  husband  many  years,  and  died  at  the  Slater 
mansion  on  East  Avenue,  Pawtucket,  December  23, 
1859,  aged  81  years. 

His  marriage  to  Hannah  Wilkinson,  bringing  him  as 
it  did  into  close  relations  with  the  Wilkinson  family, 
resulted  in  great  mutual  advantage.  Oziel  Wilkinson 
and  his  sons  were  the  most  skilled  mechanics  of  the 
time,  and  rendered  exceedingly  valuable  assistance  to 
Slater  in  the  construction  of  his  machinery.  With  the 
Wilkinsons  he  also  found  a  home,  and  their  people 
became  his  people.  On  the  other  hand  through 
means  of  Slater  the  Wilkinsons  engaged  in  the  cotton 
manufacture  and  in  the  construction  of  machinery  and  he 
aided  them  to  an  almost  unlimited  extent  with  his  capital. 
In  fact,  it  was  his  indorsements  for  David  Wilkinson  and 
for  A.  &  I.  Wilkinson  that  occasioned  his  financial 
embarrassment  in  1829. 

Mr.  Slater  was  undoubtedly  of  a  serious  and  religious 
cast  of  mind.  He  was  one  of  the  founders  of  St.  Paul's 
Episcopal  Church,  and  on  a  massive  marble  tablet  in  the 
present  edifice  of  that  body  is  the  following  inscription: 

SAMUEL    SLATER, 
SON    OF   WILLIAM, 

A    PUPIL    OF    ARKWHIGHT    &    STRUTT, 
WAS    BORN 

AT  BELPOR,  DERBYSHIRE,  ENGLAND, 

JUNE  9,   1768 : 
ESTABLISHED,  AT  PAWTUCKET, 

THE  FIRST  COTTON  MILL 
AND  THE  FIRST  SUNDAY-SCHOOLS 

IN  AMERICA,   1790: 

WAS  ONE  OF  THE  FOUNDERS, 

AND  THE  FIRST  SENIOR  WARDEN, 

OF  THIS  CHURCH  : 

ADORNED    THE    CHRISTIAN    CHARACTER 
BY    A    PIOUS    AND    EXEMPLARY    LIFE  ; 

AND  CLOSED 

HIS    EMINENT    AND    USEFUL    CAREER, 

IN    PEACE    AND    HOPE, 

APRIL    21,   1835. 


THIS  MEMORIAL 
WAS  ERECTED   BY   HIS   SURVIVING   CONSORT, 

ESTHER  SLATER, 
IN  TESTIMONY   OF   HER   AFFECTION. 

As  soon  as  Mr.  Slater  found  that  his  business  in  the 
old  mill  collected  young  children  he  opened  a  Sunday- 
school  like  those  he  had  seen  in  connection  with  Mr. 
Strutt's  works  at  Belper.  This  school  and  its  immediate 
successors  were  not  religious,  but  in  them  the  children 
were  taught  the  common  branches.  It  was  probably  the 
first,  or  at  least  one  of  the  first,  Sunday-schools  in  Amer- 


32 


THE   COTTON   CENTENNIAL. 


ica,  after  the  plan  of  Robert  Raikes,  introduced  in  Eng- 
land in  1781.  The  idea  was  so  excellent  that  Mr.  Slater 
was  assisted  by  his.  partners  and  by  Oziel  Wilkinson 
in  carrying  it  out.  Sometimes  he  taught  the  children 
himself,  but  usually  some  young  man  was  employed  who 
was  paid  by  Almy,  Brown  &  Slater,  as  the  accounts  show. 
Other  manufacturers,  both  in  Pawtucket  and  elsewhere, 
introduced  the  same  system,  and  a  great  impetus  was 
thereby  given  to  the  cause  of  education  generally.  The 
schools  came  ultimately  under  the  control  of  the  churches 
and  became  religious  instead  of  secular  in  their  teach- 
ings. The  Sunday-schools  of  the  First  Baptist  Church 
and  of  the  St.  Paul's  Episcopal  Church,  in  Pawtucket, 
are  direct  descendants  of  these  first-day  schools,  as  they 
were  called  by 
the  Quakers. 

To  achieve 
the  great  suc- 
cess that  he 
accomplished, 
in  the  face  of 
the  obstacles 
he  encoun- 
tered, Mr.  Sla- 
ter must  nec- 
essarily have 
had  many  pro- 
nounced qual- 
ities of  char- 
acter. Per- 
haps the  most 
prominent 
traits  were  his 
u  nremittin  g 
industry  and 
an  unwaver- 
ing, steadfast  perseverance  in  any  line  of  effort  in  which 
he  had  once  engaged.  He  was  very  exact  and  con- 
scientious in  all  his  business  dealings,  believed  in  keep- 
ing his  own  contracts  to  the  letter  and  expected  others 
to  do  the  same.  He  was  a  stern  disciplinarian,  demand- 
ing conscientious  service,  but  rewarding  it  well.  Inter- 
esting evidences  of  his  strictness  are  the  narratives  that 
have  come  down  to  us  of  how  he  used  to  cane  the  boys 
who  worked  for  him  in  the  Old  Mill,  when  they  neg- 
lected their  work  or  were  guilty  of  some  offence,  and  the 
fact  that  there  were  no  complaints  of  undue  violence, 
but  that  the  community,  the  parents  and  the  boys  them- 
selves offered  no  objections,  indicates  that  the  effect  and 
purpose  of  Mr.  Slater's  chastisements  were  recognized 
to  be  in  the  interest  of  good  morals  and  proper  business 


DRAWING  FRAMES  IN  A  MODERN  CARDING  ROOM. 


conduct.  He  made  no  attempt  to  keep  himself  promi- 
nent in  the  public  eye,  but  was  always  modest  and 
unassuming,  and  "  was  never  known  to  boast  of  any- 
thing relating  to  himself  whether  of  property  or  abili- 
ties." His  business  occupied  so  much  of  his  attention 
that  he  had  little  time  to  devote  to  other  affairs.  Some 
of  his  letters,  however,  which  have  been  preserved  and 
published,  exhibit  excellent  qualities  of  mind,  show  that 
he  was  fully  informed  on  history  and  on  great  general 
questions,  especially  those  relating  to  business,  and  that 
he  was  a  shrewd  observer  and  was  possessed  of  a  dry, 
caustic  humor.  In  his  later  life,  according  to  the  testi- 
mon}'  of  his  second  wife,  "  he  had  improved  himself  by 
much  reading  of  the  best  authors  in  the  English  lan- 
guage." Both 
in  his  business 
and  in  the  con- 
duct  of  his 
household  Mr. 
Slater  avoided 
show  and  dis- 
play, spending 
nothing  but 
what  was  nec- 
essary for  com- 
fort or  utility. 
The  records  of 
his  life  and 
works  are  so 
meagre  in 
co  m  p  a  r  i  s  o  n 
with  what  he 
accomplished, 
that  it  is  only 
from  detached 
references  and 

by  reasoning  on  general  principles  that  an  estimate  of 
his  character  can  be  formed.  A  correct  summary  of  the 
man  arrived  at  in  this  way  would  probably  be  that  in 
manner  he  was  quiet,  unassuming  and  modest,  in  char- 
acter honest,  conscientious  and  of  the  strictest  integrity, 
in  conduct  exact,  punctual,  decisive,  with  indomitable 
perseverance  and  energy.  All  these  qualities,  and  others 
he  may  have  possessed,  undoubtedly  fitted  him  to  do  the 
work  he  did,  and  which  as  far  as  events  have  shown  no 
other  man  could  have  performed  as  well  at  that  time. 

In  personal  appearance  Mr.  Slater  is  described  as  hav- 
ing been  "tall,  fully  six  feet  in  height,  his  usual  weight 
about  260  pounds.  He  was  of  light  complexion,  his 
features  were  regular,  his  forehead  was  broad  and  high, 
his  expression  intellectual,  and  his  bearing  commanding." 


III 


THE  PIONEER  AMERICAN  MANUFACTURERS. 


THE  MILLS  AT  PAWTUCKET  TRAINING  SCHOOLS  FOR  THE  EARLY  MANUFACTURERS  —  EXTENSION  OF  THE  INDUSTRY  AFTER  1807 
—  FIRST  FACTORIES  IN  VARIOUS  PARTS  OF  THE  COUNTRY  —  POWER  LOOMS  CONSTRUCTED  BY  FRANCIS  C.  LOWELL  AND 
PUT  IN  OPERATION  AT  WALTHAM  —  FOUNDING  OP  HE  CITY  OF  LOWELL  —  "SCOTCH  LOOM"  INTRODUCED  BY  WILLIAM 
GILMOUR,  AT  LYMANSVILLE,  R.  I.  —  CONSEQUENT  GREAT  INCREASE  OF  THE  MANUFACTURE  —  NUMBER  OF  MILLS  AND 
EXTENT  OF  OPERATIONS  AT  DIFFERENT  EPOCHS  —  IMPROVEMENTS  IN  MACHINERY — INTRODUCTION  OF  THE  SELF  ACTING 
MULE  BY  WILLIAM  C.  DAVOL  OF  FALL  RIVER — THE  INVENTION  OF  RING  SPINNING  —  MOSES  BROWN,  AND  HIS  PRELIM- 
INARY WORK  —  OBADIAH  BROWN  —  WILLIAM  ALMY  —  STARTING  OF  MILLS  AT  CENTERVILLE  AND  CROMPTON  —  GEN. 
CHRISTOPHER  LIPPITT — WILLIAM  SPRAGUE  —  DR.  STEPHEN  HARRIS  —  SIMON  HENRY  GREENE  —  ZACHARIAH  ALLEN  — 
THOMAS  J.  HILL  —  THOMAS  FLETCHER  —  OTHER  RHODE  ISLAND  PIONEERS  —  BEGINNING  OF  THE  MANUFACTURE  AT 
FALL  RIVER,  MANCHESTER  AND  LAWRENCE  —  SAMUEL  BATCHELDER  —  UNKNOWN  INVENTORS. 

which  all  the  successful  manufacturers  either  learned 
the  business  themselves,  or  from  which  they  obtained 
their  managers  and  skilled  workmen  and  the  patterns 
of  their  machinery.  Up  to  1807  all  the  cotton  mills 
in  the  country  were  erected  by  men  who  had  learned 
to  build  and  operate  machinery  in  these  factories. 
Many  of  the  first  attempts  were  failures,  chiefly,  no 
doubt,  on  account  of  the  limited  experience  of  the 
projectors.  The  number  of  mills  in  the  United  States 
in  1804,  according  to  Bishop's  History  of  American 
Manufactures,  was  four.  This  statement  probably 
means  that  only  that  number  were  successfully  using 
the  Arkwright  machinery  and  doing  a  paying  busi- 
ness. Without  doubt  all  these  mills  were  within  the 
present  limits  of  Rhode  Island. 

About  the  year   1807   the  business  began   to  ex- 
tend throughout  the  country.     At  the  close  of  that 
year  there  are  said  to  have  been  fifteen  mills  in  the 
United  States,  and  at  least  ten  of  these  were  in  Rhode 
Island.      At  the  end  of  the  year  1809,  according  to 
returns  made  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury,  Albert 
Gallatin,  eighty-seven  mills  had  been  erected  in  the 
whole  country,  sixty-two  of  which  were  in  operation, 
while  the  other  twenty-five  were  expected  to  start 
in  the  course  of  the  year  1810.     These  mills  had  a 
total  capacity  of  80,000  spindles,  no  more  in  number 
and  far  less  in  capacity  than  many  single  modern 
factories.    The  machinery  was  generally  constructed 
on  the  premises,  each  factory  having  a  machine  shop 
in  the  basement  or  in  an  adjacent  building.    Of  these 
establishments  fifty-two  were  in  New  England.    The 
total  consumption  of  cotton  in  the  year  1805  in  the 
United  States  was  a  little  more  than  1,000  bales.    In 
1816,  more  than  ninety  thousand  bales  were  manufac- 
tured, and  $40,000,000  was  invested  in  the  business. 
The  operations  of  the  mills  up  to  1817   were  confined 
to   the    spinning  of  yarn,  which  was  sent  out  both  in 
webs  and  as  filling  to  be  woven  by  the  hand-loom  weav- 
ers.    It  is  thought  that  John  Slater  brought  a  knowledge 
of  the  spinning  mule  to  Rhode  Island,  and  up  to  the  time 
of  its  introduction  the  "  water  frame  "  had  been  used  to 


MOSES  BROWN, 


PHILANTROPIST,     MERCHANT,     PATRON     OF    SLATER    AND    THE     EARLIER 
MANUFACTURERS.      FOUNDER    OF     THE     FRIENDS'    SCHOOL. 

As  has  already  been  related,  although  numerous  en- 
deavors were  made  in  various  parts  of  the  United  States 
previous  to  Slater's  arrival  to  spin  cotton  by  the  Ark- 
wright methods,  no  one  had  succeeded  in  perfecting  the 
machinery  and  conducting  the  manufacture  profitably. 
The  two  mills  at  Pawtucket  were  the  original  schools  in 


34 


THE   COTTON   CENTENNIAL. 


spin  both  kinds  of  yarn,  but  after  that  period  the  mule, 
because  of  its  capacity  for  finer  work,  was  used  to  spin  the 
rilling. 

In  1809  there  were  seventeen  mills  in  operation  in 
Providence  and  vicinity,  with  seven  in  course  of  erection. 
During  the  year  these  mills  had  consumed  640,000  pounds 
of  cotton,  and  produced  510,000  pounds  of  yarn,  while 
1,100  hand  looms  were  employed  ir*  weaving  the  yarn 
into  ticking,  stripes,  checks,  ginghams,  shirtings,  sheet- 
ings and  counterpanes,  which  were  considered  equal  in 
appearance  and  superior  in  durability  to  English  goods. 
In  1812  there  were,  within  thirty  miles  of  Providence, 
fifty-three  factories  with  over  ioo,oco  spindles,  of  which 
58,000  were  in  operation.  Of  these  factories  thirty- 
three  were  in  Rhode 
Island  and  twenty  in 
Massachusetts. 

The  first  cotton  factory 
in  the  state  of  New  York 
was  started  in  1804  at 
Union  Village,  Washing- 
ton County,  by  William 
Mowry,  who  had  learned 
the  business  at  the  mills  in 
Pawtucket.  A  mill  was 
started  at  New  Ipswich, 
N.  H.,  in  1804,  and  a 
second  factory  was  erected 
in  1807.  Early  in  1806 
a  mill  was  built  in  Con- 
necticut on  the  Quinebaug 
River,  in  the  town  of 
Pomfret,  by  a  company 
composed  of  Oziel  Wil- 
kinson, his  five  sons,  two 
sons-in-law,  and  the  three 
Rhodes  brothers,  James, 
Christie  and  William,  all 
from  Pawtucket,  and 
some  of  them  associated 
with  Slater  in  other  enter- 
prises. Smith  Wilkin- 
son, the  youngest  of  the 
brothers,  conducted  the 
enterprise  successfully  for 
many  years.  A  mill  was 
built  by  the  Maine  Cot- 
ton and  Woolen  Company  at  Brunswick,  Me.,  in  1807. 
Factories  were  started  at  Watertown,  Fitchburg  and  Med- 
way,  Mass.,  in  1807;  at  Dedham  in  1808,  at  Waltham 
between  1807  and  1809,  and  at  Dorchester  in  1811.  In 
New  Hampshire  at  the  end  of  1811  there  were  probably 
fifteen  mills  operating  six  or  seven  thousand  spindles. 
The  Union  Manufacturing  Company,  of  Maryland,  began 
to  manufacture  cotton  on  the  Patapsco  River,  ten  miles 
from  Baltimore,  in  May,  1810.  During  the  same  year 
mills  were  started  at  Derby,  Conn.,  at  Chicopee,  Mass., 
and  at  various  places  in  New  York  state.  Two  cotton 
mills  were  started  at  Fall  River,  then  known  as  Troy,  in 
1813.  A  great  impetus  was  given  to  the  development 
of  the  cotton  manufacture  throughout  the  country  by  the 


OLIVER   CHACE, 


FOUNDER     OF     TROY    MILLS,     FALL    RIVER,     1813. 


almost  complete  stoppage  of  importations  occasioned  by 
the  war  of  1812. 

There  were  in  operation  in  1813,  in  Rhode  Island, 
120,000  spindles.  "In  and  near  Providence,"  accord- 
ing to  a  memorial  to  congress,  the  number  of  factories 
was  reported  to  be,  at  the  close  of  the  year  1815,  as 
follows:  In  Rhode  Island  99  mills,  with  75,678  spin- 
dles; in  Massachusetts  57  mills,  45,650  spindles;  in 
Connecticut  14  mills,  12,886  spindles,  —  a  total  of  170 
mills  and  134,214  spindles.  The  average  capacity  of 
mills  at  that  period  was  only  500  spindles.  The  Old 
Mill  at  Pawtucket  up  to  this  time  was  the  largest  in  the 
country,  containing  5,170  spindles. 

Accounts  of  Cartwright's  power  loom  and  of  its  im- 
provement into  an  effect- 
ive machine  reached 
America  early  in  the 
century,  but  the  laws 
that  had  prevented  Slater 
from  carry  ing  plans  of  the 
Arkwright  machinery  out 
of  the  kingdom  stood  in 
the  way  of  its  introduc- 
tion in  this  country.  A 
loom  was  constructed  by 
Mr.  Francis  C.  Lowell, 
of  Boston,  and  put  in 
operation  in  the  factory 
of  the  Boston  Manufac- 
turing Company,  at  Wal- 
tham, in  1814.  Mr.  Low- 
ell had  visited  England 
in  i  Sio-i  i,  and  although 
it  is  not  certain  that  he 
saw  the  perfected  power 
loom  in  operation,  he 
became  familiar  with  its 
general  principles.  Paul 
Moody,  a  skilled  mech- 
anician, was  engaged  to 
build  the  machines  after 
Mr.  Lowell  had  perfect- 
ed the  working  model. 
The  loom  was  copied  in 
its  essential  features  from 
a  plate  in  a  book  by  John 
Duncan,  and  the  lay  was 
operated  by  a  cam  and  weight  instead  of  by  a  crank  as  in 
the  so-called  Scotch  loom.  To  Mr.  Lowell's  ability  and 
genius  the  starting  and  developing  of  the  factory  at  Wal- 
tham was  mainly  due.  This  mill  was  the  first  in  the  world 
in  which  all  the  processes  of  the  manufacture  were  carried 
on  under  one  roof  from  the  raw  cotton  to  the  finished 
cloth.  With  Mr.  Lowell  were  associated  in  this  enter- 
prise his  brother-in-law,  Patrick  Tracy  Jackson,  the 
Honorable  Nathan  Appleton,  and  others.  Mr.  Lowell 
died  September  2,  1817,  at  the  age  of  42.  His  family 
has  for  generations  been  famous  in  the  state  and  nation. 
James  Russell  Lowell,  the  poet,  is  a  nephew  of  Francis 
C.,  and  John  Lowell,  who  established  the  well-known 
Lowell  Institute  and  lectures  in  Boston,  was  his  son. 


THE  PIONEER  AMERICAN  MANUFACTURERS. 


35 


The  combination  of  all  the  processes  under  one  roof  at 
Waltham  was  the  result  of  Mr.  Lowell's  calculations  and 
management,  and  the  saving  in  expense  thereby  secured 
was  the  chief  cause  of  the  great  profits  this  establishment 
reaped  while  other  mills  were  either  idle  or  making  no 
money  during  the  business  depression  following  the  peace 
of  1815.  Such  was  the  success  of  the  Waltham  enterprise 
that  the  proprietors  determined  to  extend  their  business. 
Accordingly,  Mr.  P.  T.  Jackson,  the  Honorable  Nathan 
Appleton,  with  Mr.  Kirk  Boott,  and  others,  organized  the 
Merrimack  Manufacturing  Company,  and  in  1822  began 
the  erection  of  a  large  factory  on  the  Merrimack  River 
at  East  Chelmsford.  In  honor  of  Mr.  Lowell  the  place 
was  renamed,  and  this  was  the  beginning  of  the  great 
cotton  manufacturing  city 
of  Lowell.  The  first  mill 
was  started  in  Septem- 
ber, 1823.  The  success 
of  this  enterprise  was  so 
pronounced  that  capital 
was  attracted  to  the  local- 
ity and  many  new  mills 
were  rapidly  erected  w i  th- 
in  the  next  few  years. 
For  many  years  Lowell 
was  the  leading  cotton 
manufacturing  centre  in 
the  United  States,  but 
since  the  War  of  the  Re- 
bellion Fall  River  has 
forged  ahead.  Lowell  is, 
however,  a  good  second. 
The  superior  character  of 
the  workers  in  the  early 
Lowell  mills  as  compared 
with  English  operatives 
at  the  same  time  is  a  mat- 
ter of  history.  The  story 
of  their  life  and  surround- 
ings has  been  told  by 
themselves  in  the  pages 
of  the  famous  magazine 
called  the  Loivell  Offer- 
ing, while  Lucy  Larcom 
and  other  writers  have 
also  given  views  of  the 
conditions  then  and  there 

existing.  This  state  of  affairs  was  due  to  the  careful  and 
wise  plans  of  the  projectors  of  the  factories  and  to  the 
circumstances  and  previous  environment  of  the  people 
themselves. 

Although  the  Waltham  loom  was  a  success  it  was  not 
equal  to  the  improved  loom  in  use  in  England  and  Scot- 
land. A  Scotch  mechanic  named  William  Gilmour,  who 
was  familiar  with  the  loom  as  originally  constructed  by 
Cartwright  and  with  all  the  subsequent  inventions  and 
improvements,  came  to  America  in  1814.  He  had  in  his 
possession  patterns  of  the  perfected  loom  and  dresser 
as  used  in  Scotland.  John  Slater  invited  Gilmour  to 
Slatersville,  and  wished  to  engage  him  to  build  the 
machines,  but  the  other  partners,  owing  to  the  depression 


in  business  then  existing,  were  opposed  to  the  experiment. 
Judge  Daniel  Lyman,  who  had  borne  a  conspicuous 
part  in  the  Revolutionary  War,  started  a  small  factory 
early  in  the  century  on  the  Woonasquatucket  River  in 
North  Providence.  He  had  been  experimenting  for 
several  years  with  power  looms  without  obtaining  satis- 
factory results.  He  heard  of  Gilmour  and,  in  company 
with  other  manufacturers,  engaged  him  to  build  looms 
and  dressers.  Twelve  looms  were  constructed  under 
Mr.  Gilmour's  instructions  and  in  accordance  with  his 
patterns,  the  work  being  accomplished  in  about  sixty 
days,  at  a  cost  per  loom  of  $70.  They  were  put  in  opera- 
tion in  the  factory  at  Lymansville  in  1817.  Mr.  Gil- 
mour was  paid  $1,500  for  his  services  and  the  use  of 

his  patterns,  and  David 
Wilkinson  at  his  ma- 
chine shop  began  the 
manufacture  of  the  ma- 
chines, and  supplied  the 
factories  in  Rhode  Island 
and  adjoining  regions. 
The  Scotch  loom,  as  this 
machine  was  commonly 
called ,  was  much  superior 
to  the  Waltham  machine, 
but  not  until  ten  years 
after  it  had  been  intro- 
duced into  Rhode  Island 
was  it  adopted  at  Wal- 
tham or  Lowell.  The 
common  cotton  loom  in 
use  to-day  is  this  machine 
developed  and  improved, 
with  some  minor  addi- 
tions, but  in  principle 
essentially  the  same. 
Gilmour's  loom  com- 
pleted the  manufacturing 
system  in  Rhode  Island 
as  the  hand-mule  was 
already  in  use.  In  this 
respect  the  Rhode  Island 
manufacturers  were  a 
decade  ahead  of  their 
contemporaries. 

The  introduction  of  the 
power  loom  gave  a  strong 

impetus  to  the  cotton  industry.  Looms  were  put  in  the 
existing  factories,  and  a  great  saving  in  labor  was  thereby 
effected,  as  the  necessity  of  carrying  the  yarn  out  to 
weave  was  done  away  with.  In  1823  the  number  of 
factories  in  the  vicinity  of  Providence  and  adjacent  parts 
of  Connecticut  and  Massachusetts  was  estimated  at  100. 
Among  the  largest  were  the  establishments  of  Almy, 
Brown  &  Slaters,  at  Slatersville,  with  116  power  looms 
and  6,000  spindles ;  the  Blackstone  Manufacturing  Com- 
pany, at  Mendon,  Mass.,  with  150  looms  and  6,000 
spindles ;  and  the  Coventry  Manufacturing  Company, 
at  Anthony,  in  the  Pawtuxet  valley,  with  4,000  spindles 
and  72  looms.  In  the  year  1829  there  were  in  Rhode 
Island  139  factories,  of  which  the  towns  of  Warwick  and 


DAVID   ANTHONY, 

FOUNDER    OF    THE     FALL    RIVER     MANUFACTURING    COMPANY,     III:). 


36 


THE   COTTON   CENTENNIAL. 


. 


.-. 


ZACHARIAH  ALLEN, 

INVENTOR,   PHILOSOPHER   AND   MANUFACTURER.      ORIGINATOR   OF    THE      , 
MANUFACTURERS'     MUTUAL    INSURANCE    SYSTEM. 

Smithfield  each  had  20.  The  remainder  were  probably 
chiefly  located  in  the  Blackstone  valley.  In  1825  the 
number  of  spindles  in  the  United  States  was  estimated  at 
800, ooo.  The  number  of  cotton  factories  in  the  whole 
country  in  1826  was  thought  to  be  about  675,  of  which 
400  were  in  New  England,  and  they  averaged  about 
700  spindles  each.  The  new  mills,  however,  were  quite 
large,  while  the  majority  of  the  old  ones  were  very  small. 
Each  spindle  at  that  period  is  supposed  to  have  worked 
up  about  one  hundred  and  forty  pounds  of  cotton  annu- 
ally, mostly  in  very  coarse  numbers.  After  1830  the 
average  capacity  of  mills  was  largely  increased,  the  new 
mills  having  from  four  to  six  thousand  spindles.  Con- 
tinued enlargement  has  been  the  order  of  the  day  down 
to  the  present,  so  that  although  the  number  of  dis- 
'tinct  establishments  is  probably  not  more  than  twice  as 
great  as  in  1826,  the  mills  are  immensely  larger,  the 
number  of  spindles  has  increased  twenty  fold,  and  the 
production  in  a  much  greater  ratio.  Immense  advances 
have  been  made  in  the  effectiveness  of  the  machinery,  so 
that  one  spindle  does  as  much  work  as  several  in  1830, 
and  nearly  all  the  machines  have  been  made  more  thor- 
oughly automatic,  requiring  much  less  attendance.  The 
number  of  cotton  factories  in  the  United  States  was  801 
in  1831,  1,240  in  1840,  and  1,074  in  1850.  The  growth 
since  then  is  shown  by  the  following  table  : 


1860. 

1870. 

1880. 

Factories, 
Looms, 
•Spindles, 
Operatives, 
Capital,    . 
Wages,     . 
All  materials 
Products, 

1,091 

126,313 

5.235.727 
122.028 
$98.586.260 
$23,938,236 
$57-285.534 
$115,681,774 

956 
157  810 

7.'32,4i5 
135.369 
$140,706,291 
$39,044.132 
$"'  736936 
$'77'45>9  739 

1,005 
229,784 

I0.7  '3.677 
185,472 

$219.505  794 
$45,614,419 

$"3.765.537 
$210,950,383 

An  interesting  story  is  told  of  the  difficulties  encoun- 
tered in  securing  the  first  self-acting  mule  from  England. 
This  machine  was  manufactured  under  the  patents  of 
Richard  Roberts,  by  the  firm  of  Sharpe,  Roberts  &  Com- 
pany, in  Manchester.  In  1838,  Mr.  William  C.  Davol  and 
Major  Bradford  Durfee,  of  Fall  River,  went  to  England 
for  the  purpose  chiefly  of  obtaining  a  knowledge  of  the 
improvements  in  cotton  machinery.  Mr.  Davol  was  so 
much  impressed  with  the  self-acting  mule  that  he  pur- 
chased a  machine  from  the  manufacturers,  and  made  an 
arrangement  with  the  inventor  for  securing  patents  in 
America,  and  engaging  in  the  construction  of  the  machine 
under  a  royalty.  Before  leaving  England,  however,  he 
learned  that  the  mule  could  only  be  delivered  in  the  yard 
of  the  works,  as  the  laws  that  had  prevented  Slater  from 
carrying  models  of  mechanical  improvements  out  of  the 
kingdom  were  still  in  force,  at  least  in  a  modified  form. 
He  was  directed  to  an  agent  in  Liverpool  who  made  a 
verbal  agreement  to  ship  the  machine  as  soon  as  possible, 
and  with  this  assurance  Mr.  Davol  and  Major  Durfee 
returned  to  America.  The  machine  did  not  arrive,  how- 
ever, as  expected,  and  although  many  letters  were  written 
to  the  English  firm  and  the  Liverpool  agent  two  years 
elapsed  before  it  reached  America.  It  then  came  in  a 
vessel  from  Havre  as  an  invoice  of  small  metal  ware 
packed  like  plate  glass  in  broad  thin  cases,  and  its  frame- 
work and  every  part  of  any  size  was  in  pieces  a  few  inches 
in  length.  Mr.  Davol  succeeded  in  putting  these  pieces 
together  with  great  patience  and  after  much  trouble,  but 
was  rewarded  by  having  the  first  complete  self-acting  mule 
in  America  in  his  possession.  With  his  partners,  under 
the  style  of  Hawes,  Marvel  &  Davol,  he  began  the  manu- 


EDWARD  HARRIS, 

FOUNDER  OF    THE    HARRIS  WOOLEN   COMPANY,    WOONSOCKET 


*Thc  numbei  of  spindles  in  1889  has  been  estimated  to  be  14,175  ooo. 


THE  PIONEER  AMERICAN  MANUFACTURERS. 


37 


facture  of  this  machine,  for  which  a  great  demand  almost 
immediately  sprang  up  in  all  the  cotton  centres.  An 
attempt  was  made  to  deprive  Mr.  Davol  of  the  fruits  of 
his  enterprise,  but  although  a  strong  combination  was 
formed  against  him  his  rights  were  sustained  by  the 
courts. 

Great  improvements  were  made  by  American  mechan- 
ics in  the  spinning  frame  invented  by  Arkwright,  and  in- 
troduced in  this  country  by  Samuel  Slater.  The  first  in 
the  order  of  time  was  the  invention  of  the  ring  and  trav- 
eler, a  device  to  guide  the  thread  to  the  bobbin,  and 
to  aid  in  giving  a  twist  to  the  yarn.  This  supplanted 
the  flyer  or  throstle,  which  previously  had  given  the  name 
to  the  entire  machine.  In  1828  John  Thorp,  of  Provi- 
dence, R.  I.,  a  very  ingenious  mechanic,  invented  this 
improvement,  which  consisted  of  a  thin  piece  of  flat  steel 


was  2,500  revolutions  per  minute.  The  improved  spin- 
dles in  use  to-day  are  but  little  over  ten  inches  long,  with 
a  bobbin  of  six  inches,  and  they  can  be  run  at  the  rate  of 
10,000  revolutions  a  minute. 

A  great  deal  of  credit  is  due  to  some  of  the  Rhode 
Island  contemporaries  of  Slater  for  their  labors  and 
enterprise  as  pioneers  in  establishing  the  cotton  manu- 
facture. Next  to  Samuel  Slater  himself  the  man  who 
accomplished  the  most  in  bringing  about  the  introduc- 
tion of  the  Arkwright  machinery  was  Moses  Brown. 
He  realized  the  importance  of  the  new  inventions  as  his 
purchase  of  all  the  early  experimental  machinery  testi- 
fies ;  he  was  the  means  of  bringing  Slater  to  Pawtucket ; 
with  his  capital  and  by  his  advice  the  first  machines  were 
built,  and  he  exercised  a  fatherly  and  protecting  care 
over  the  infant  enterprise.  Moses  Brown  was  a  descend- 


THE   OLD   SLATER   MILL    IN  1890. 

Photographed  by  Salislury. 


wire  bent  like  the  letter  O  that  "  traveled  "  on  the  upper 
surface  of  a  highly  polished  metal  ring.  This  ring  encir- 
cled the  spindle,  and  by  the  action  of  the  mechanism  was 
moved  up  and  down  the  whole  extent  of  the  bobbin,  by 
this  means  the  yarn  being  wound  thereon.  When  first 
invented  the  ring  frame  was  very  crude,  but  within  a  few 
years  it  was  perfected  by  William  Mason,  the  founder  of 
the  Mason  Machine  Works  at  Taunton,  who  was  also  the 
inventor  of  an  American  type  of  the  spinning  mule,  and  of 
a  number  of  lesser  but  very  valuable  improvements  in  cot- 
ton and  woolen  machinery  and  locomotives.  Ring  spin- 
ning has  supplanted  the  throstle  not  only  in  America  but 
is  in  general  use  in  England.  Great  changes  have  been 
made  in  the  form  and  style  of  spinning  frame  spindles 
chiefly  by  American  inventors.  The  spindles  on  Samuel 
Slater's  machines  were  twenty-four  inches  in  length  while 
the  bobbin  was  only  four  inches,  and  their  highest  speed 


ant  of  Chad  Brown,  an  associate  of  Roger  Williams  and 
one  of  the  first  settlers  of  Providence.  He  was  the 
youngest  of  the  "  Four  Brown  Brothers"  who  exercised 
such  a  commanding  influence  in  all  lines  of  life  during 
the  last  half  of  the  eighteenth  century  in  Providence  and 
Rhode  Island.  Born  September  23,  1738,  he  became, 
when  25  years  of  age,  a  partner  with  his  brothers  in  the 
commercial  house  founded  by  his  father  and  uncle  and 
which,  as  the  great  manufacturing  firm  of  Brown  &  Ives, 
is  still  conducted  by  their  descendants.  He  retired 
from  the  firm  in  1773,  on  account  of  feeble  health,  and 
thereafter  devoted  himself  to  study.  About  the  same 
time  he  joined  the  Society  of  Friends  and  during  the 
Revolution  held  himself  aloof  from  all  participation  in 
popular  movements.  After  the  war  he  interested  himself 
in  education  and  in  trying  to  introduce  manufacturing. 
The  exalted  quality  of  his  character  is  well  illustrated  by 


38 


THE   COTTON  CENTENNIAL 


the  fact  that  in  1773  he  freed  his  slaves.  As  soon  as  he 
heard  of  the  "  young  man  from  England  "  he  invited  him 
to  come  to  Providence,  as  he  recognized  the  fact  that  a 
person  skilled  in  the  business  was  imperatively  needed 
to  perfect  the  machinery  and  conduct  the  manufacture. 
Although  never  actively  engaged  as  a  direct  partner  in 
any  manufacturing  enterprise,  still  throughout  his  life  by 
the  investment  of  his  money  and  by  wise  and  practical 
suggestions  he  probably  did  more  to  promote  the  estab- 
lishment of  the  industry  than  many  men  who  were  con- 
cerned in  the  actual  work.  Not  only  was  he  anxious  for 
the  material  results  but,  as  some  of  his  letters  show,  the 
moral  effect  of  the  factory  system  gave  him  great  con- 
cern, and  in  connection  with  Slater  and  others  he  gave 
his  support,  to  the  estab- 
lishing of Sunday  and  day 
schools  in  the  factory  dis- 
tricts. He  died  Septem- 
ber 6,  1836,  within  six- 
teen daysof  his  pSth  birth- 
day, full  of  years  and 
honor. 

Obadiah  Brown,  the 
only  son  of  Moses  Brown, 
became  a  partner  in  the 
firm  of  Almy,  Brown  & 
Slater  very  early  in  the 
history  of  the  business. 
New  articles  of  partner- 
ship had  been  drawn  up 
in  1803,  and,  by  an  agree- 
ment made  February  19, 
1819,  Slater  received 
$5,000,  and  each  partner 
continued  to  hold  an 
interest  of  one-third. 
Samuel  Slater  and  Oba- 
diah Brown  seem  to  have 
.formed  an  especial  friend- 
ship for  each  other.  Oba-  •  _ 
diah  Brown  died  October 
15,  1822,  and  his  will 
named  Slater  as  executor. 
At  the  time  of  Slater's 
embarrassment  in  1829, 
when  he  was  so  severely 
tried  by  the  refusal  of 
some  of  his  friends  to  help  him,  he  observed  to  Mr.  White  : 
"I  should  not  have  been  so  tried  if  Obadiah  Brown  had 
been  living."  William  Almy  married  the  only  daughter  of 
Moses  Brown.  He  was  a  partner  of  Slater  for  nearly 
forty  years,  from  1790  to  1829,  at  which  time  the  Old 
Mill  came  into  his  exclusive  possession.  He  died  Feb- 
ruary, 1836,  at  the 'age  of  75. 

A  mill  was  started  at  Centreville  in  Warwick  in  1794, 
by  William  Potter,  John  Allen,  Job  Greene  and  others, 
but  proving  unsuccessful,  a  half  interest  was  purchased 
by  Almy  &  Brown  in  1801,  and  under  their  manage- 
ment it  proved  a  paying  venture.  This  mill  was  on  the 
west  side  of  the  river.  In  1807  a  factory  was  built  on 
the  east  side,  the  chief  owners  of  which  were  John  and 


DR.  NATHAN  DURFEE. 


AN     EARLY    MANUFACTURER    OF     FALL    RIVER. 


Gideon  Greene.  This  mill  became  the  property  of  Bene- 
dict Lapham  in  1852.  In  1871  Mr.  Lapham  erected  the 
present  large  and  handsome  stone  factory.  He  was  a 
very  successful  manufacturer.  He  died  in  1883  and  was 
succeeded  by  his  brother,  Enos  Lapham,  who  was  Lieu- 
tenant Governor  of  the  State  in  1888-9. 

Soon  after  the  starting  of  the  White  Mill  on  the  Mas- 
sachusetts side  of  the  river  at  Pawtucket  in  1801,  some 
of  the  workmen  became  dissatisfied  and  five  or  six  of 
them  left  and  started  a  mill  on  the  Abbott  Run  in  Cum- 
berland, at  a  place  called  Robbin  Hollow.  The  prop- 
erty and  water-privilege  here  were  owned  by  Elisha 
Waterman  and  Benjamin  S.  Walcott,  who  erected  a  small 
factory  for  these  men.  The  original  mill,  which  was  the 

third  in  the  country,  was 
burned  about  1830.  At 
present  the  village  and 
factory  here  are  known 
as  Cumberland  Mills. 

On  the  south  branch 
of  the  Pawtucket  River, 
about  a  mile  above  Cen- 
treville, a  small  stone  cot- 
ton mill  was  erected  in 
1807  by  the  Providence 
Manufacturing  Company, 
the  members  of  which 
were  Seth  W  he  a  ton, 
Thomas  Sessions,  John 
K.  Pitman,  Henry  Smith, 
Nathaniel  Searle,  Jona- 
than Tiffany,  Benjamin 
Remington  and  William 
Rice.  In  1800  this  re- 
gion was  covered  with  a 
dense  wood.  The  origi- 
nal company  failed  in 
1816.  In  1823,  after 
some  changes  in  owner- 
ship, Seth  Wheaton,  Ed- 
ward Carrington,  and 
Benjamin  Cozzens  ac- 
quired the  property, 
formed  the  Crompton 
Company,  and  called  the 
village  by  the  same  name, 
in  honor  of  Samuel 
Crompton,  the  inventor  of  the  spinning  mule.  These 
mills,  fitted  up  with  all  modern  improvements,  are  still 
run  under  the  name  of  the  Crompton  Company,  and  are 
owned  by  the  Richmond  family. 

During  the  first  years  of  the  century  many  of  the  mills 
built  in  Rhode  Island  were  very  small.  Farmers  who 
had  a  brook  running  through  their  land,  especially  if  it 
had  a  good  fall,  put  up  mills  with  the  idea  that  they 
would  get  rich  rapidly  by  spinning  cotton.  It  is  related 
that  Joseph  Tiffany  built  such  a  factory  near  Crompton 
village,  in  Warwick,  and  "  one  day  when  the  machin- 
ery was  running  full  speed  all  at  once  the  wheel  almost 
stopped.  The  help  ran  out  to  see  what  the  matter  was. 
They  found  a  cow  drinking  the  water  that  ought  to  run 


THE  PIONEER  AMERICAN  MANUFACTURERS. 


39 


the  wheel.  When  the  cow  had  quenched  her  thirst  the 
wheel  started  up  again  at  full  speed." 

General  Christopher  Lippitt,  one  of  the  most  famous 
of  Rhode  Island's  sons  during  the  Revolution,  in  com- 
pany with  his  brother  Charles,  Benjamin  Aborn,  George 
Jackson,  Amasa  Mason  and  William  H.  Mason,  formed 
the  Lippitt  Manufacturing  Company  in  1809  and  erected 
a  mill  on  the  north  branch  of  the  Pawtuxet  River  in  1810, 
naming  the  new  village,  thus  founded,  Lippitt.  The 
same  year  the  Roger  Williams  Mill  was  built  by  a  com- 
pany of  the  same  name  at  the  village  now  known  as^ 
Phenix,  the  members  of  the  company  being  Daniel 
Baker,  William  Baker,  Samuel  Baker,  William  Harri- 
son, Reuben  Whitman,  Elisha  Williams  and  John  S. 
Williams.  The  Lippitt 
and  the  Roger  Williams 
mills  were  each  finished 
on  July  4,  1810,  the 
builders  striving  to  outdo 
each  other.  In  1821  the 
Roger  Williams  mill  was 
burned.  It  was  rebuilt 
in  1822  by  Timothy  and 
Samuel  Greene  and  Ben- 
jamin Harris,  the  name 
of  the  company  and  place 
being  at  the  same  time 
changed  to  Phenix.  After 
several  changes  of  owner- 
ship the  village  and  mills 
came  ultimately  into  the 
possession  of  the  Hope 
Company,  one  of  the 
branches  of  Brown  & 
Ives. 

Henry  P.  Franklin  en- 
gaged in  the  cotton  manu- 
facture and  started  the 
Union  Mills  in  Olney- 
ville  early  in  the  century. 
In  company  with  his 
nephew,  John  Water- 
man, in  1812  he  built  the 
Merino  Mill,  and  started 
1 ,500  spindles.  Some  of 
the  earliest  experiments 
with  power  looms  were, 

according  to  Zachariah  Allen,  carried  on  in  this  mill.  In 
March,  1812,  John  Thorp  put  in  operation  in  this  factory 
a  vertical  power  loom  he  had  invented  and  patented.  It 
however  was  not  a  success  on  account  of  the  imperfect 
system  of  dressing  the  warps,  and  also  for  the  lack  of  a 
stop  motion  to  prevent  the  smashing  of  the  warp  when 
the  shuttle  failed  to  go  through  the  web  to  its  place  in 
the  box. 

Christopher  and  William  Rhodes  started  manufactur- 
ing both  cotton  and  woolen  goods  at  Bellefonte,  in  the 
first  years  of  the  century,  about  a  mile  from  the  mouth 
of  the  Pawtuxet  River,  and  here  they  are  said  to  have 
woven  the  first  broadcloth  in  the  country.  In  the  fall  of 
1807  a  mill  80  feet  long,  with  two  frames  of  84  spindles 


RICHARD  BORDEN, 


A    PIONEER    MANUFACTURER   Of   FALL   RIVER 


and  two  mules  of  200  spindles  each,  was  built  at  Natick 
by  a  company  composed  of  Captain  William  Potter, 
Charles  Potter,  Christopher  and  William  Rhodes,  Jona- 
than Ellis,  Pere/,  Peck  and  others. 

William  Sprague  was  one  of  the  earliest  cotton  manu- 
facturers in  Rhode  Island.  In  1808  he  started  a  spin- 
ning mill  at  Cranston,  and  thus  founded  the  immense 
business  carried  on  by  his  family  for  three  generations. 
He  started  the  business  of  bleaching,  printing  and  dye- 
ing calicoes  at  Cranston  in  1824.  In  1825  in  company 
with  Christopher  and  William  Rhodes  he  purchased  the 
water-privilege  at  Natick,  and  the  partners  built  a  stone 
mill  of  large  size  for  the  times.  This  property  was  from 
time  to  time  enlarged  and  in  1852  passed  into  the  hands 

of  William  •  Sprague's 
sons,  William  and 
Amasa,  who  formed  at 
their  father's  death,  the 
firm  of  A.&  W.  Sprague. 
Two  mills  were  built  by 
the  firm  at  Quidnick,  in 
Coventry,  in  1849,  and  in 
1852  a  mill  was  built  at 
Arctic.  For  miles  the 
Sprague  properties  ex- 
tended in  Warwick  and 
Coventry,  in  the  Paw- 
tuxet valley,  and  con- 
sisted not  only  of  the 
mills,  but  of  the  villages 
and  extensive  tracts  of 
lands.  William  Sprague, 
the  son  of  the  founder 
of  the  family,  was  gov- 
ernor of  the  state  1838- 
1839,  an<J  United  States 
Senator  1842-1844.  His 
brother  Amasa  was  mur- 
dered in  1843,  the  motive 
for  the  deed,  it  is  sup- 
posed, being  his  activity 
in  advocating  and  pro- 
moting temperance.  The 
sons  of  the  murdered 
man,  who  were  also 
named  Amasa  and  Wil- 
liam, on  the  death  of 
their  uncle  succeeded  to  the  management  of  the  business, 
their  cousin  Byron  being  an  inactive  partner.  William 
Sprague,  of  the  third  generation,  was  elected  governor 
of  Rhode  Island  in  rS6o.  He  put  forth  great  exertions 
in  raising  troops  to  put  down  the  rebellion,  in  response 
to  President  Lincoln's  call,  and  in  1862  went  to  the  front 
with  the  Second  Rhode  Island  Regiment.  He  was  gov- 
ernor from  1860  to  1863,  when  he  resigned  to  become 
United  States  Senator,  which  office  he  held  until  1875. 
A.  &  W.  Sprague  failed  in  October,  1873,  and  the  glory 
departed  from  the  house  of  Sprague.  At  the  time  of 
their  failure,  the  Spragues  were  probably  the  most  exten- 
sive cotton  manufacturers  in  the  world. 

At  the  place  now  known  as  River  Point,  in  Warwick, 


40 


THE   COTTON  CENTENNIAL. 


EDWARD  CARRINGTON, 

MERCHANT   AND    PIONEER    MANUFACTURER. 

near  the  junction  of  the  two  branches  of  the  Paw- 
tuxet  River,  a  mill  containing  four  frames  and  two 
mules  was  built,  in  1812,  by  the  Greene  Manu- 
facturing Company,  composed  of  Dr.  Stephen  Har- 
ris, Dr.  Sylvester  Knight,  James  Greene,  Resolved 
Slack  and  Resolved  Waterman.  Five  years  later, 
after  the  mill  had  been  shut  down  for  some  time, 
the  business  came  under  the  exclusive  control  of  Dr. 
Harris.  Subsequently  two  other  mills  were  built 
and  manufacturing  was  carried  on  here  by  the  Har- 
ris family  until  some  time  in  the  '8o's,  when  the 
entire  property  was  bought  by  B.  B.  &  R.  Knight. 

Simon  Henry  Greene,  a  grandson  of  Colonel 
Christopher  Greene,  a  soldier  of  the  Revolution, 
began  the  bleaching  business  in  1828  in  company 
with  Edward  Pike,  on  the  north  branch  of  the  Paw- 
tuxet,  just  below  Lippitt.  The  firm  subsequently 
engaged  in  calico  printing.  After  Mr.  Pike's  death 
the  interest  of  his  heirs  was  purchased  by  Mr.  Greene. 
The  concern  is  now  known  as  the  Clyde  Print 
Works  and  Bleachery  and  is  run  by  Mr.  Greene's 
sons. 

James  De  Wolf,  of  Bristol,  Dr.  Caleb  Fiske  and 
his  son  Philip,  began  the  manufacture  of  cotton  on 
the  north  branch  of  the  Pawtuxet  in  1809,  and  named 
their  new  settlement  Arkwright,  in  honor  of  the 


great  English  inventor.  In  1817  Mr.  De  Wolf 
purchased  the  entire  property.  Dr.  Fiske,  with 
his  son,  established  a  factory  in  1812  on  the  next 
water-privilege  above  Arkwright,  and  called  the 
village  Fiskeville.  Soon  after,  Charles  Jackson, 
who  was  governor  of  the  state  in  1845-6,  bought  the 
water-privilege  above  Fiskeville.  built  a  factory, 
and  called  the  village  Jackson.  About  the  year 
iS.:2,  Elisha  and  John  C.  Harris  built  a  mill 
between  Arkwright  and  Phenix.  The  village  in  the 
neighborhood  became  known  as  Harrisville.  Elisha 
Harris  accumulated  a  large  fortune  as  a  manu- 
facturer. He  was  governor  of  the  state  from  1847 
to  1849.  The  property  at  present  consists  of  two 
mills,  operated  by  the  Harris  Manufacturing  Com- 
pany of  which  ex-governor  Henry  Howard  is 
president. 

The  Coventry  Manufacturing  Company,  com- 
posed of  James  Burrill,  Richard  Jackson,  John 
K.  Pitman,  William  Valentine,  Richard  Anthony, 
William  Anthony,  Nathan  Jackson  and  Samuel 
Arnold  began  the  erection  of  a  mill,  at  what  is  now 
the  village  of  Anthony,  in  the  autumn  of  1805  and 
finished  it  in  1806.  Richard  and  William  Anthony, 
after  whom  the  village  was  named,  were  the  sons 
of  Daniel  Anthony,  to  whom  belongs  the  credit  of 
making  the  first  attempt,  in  company  with  Lewis 


NICHOLAS  BROWN, 


MERCHANT,      MANUFACTURER,      PHILANTHROPIST,     AND     BENEFACTOR     OF     BROWN 
UNIVERSITY,    IN    HONOR    OF    WHOM     THE    UNIVERSITY    WAS    NAMED. 


PIONEER  AMERICAN  MANUFACTURERS. 


41 


Peck  and  Andrew  Dexter,  to  introduce  the  manufacture 
of  cotton  by  machinery  in  Rhode  Island.  The  late  Sen- 
ator Henry  B.  Anthony  was  a  son  of  William  Anthony. 
Charles  Jackson,  governor  of  Rhode  Island,  1845-6,  and 
George  Jackson,  at  one  time  editor  of  the  Providence 
Journal,  were  sons  of  Richard  Jackson.  A  second  mill 
was  built  in  1810.  In  1823  the  mill  at  Anthony  was 
one  of  the  largest  in  the  country.  The  present  factory, 
one  of  the  finest  mill  structures  in  the  country,  was 
erected  in  1874,  at  which  time  the  old  buildings  were 
taken  down.  In  1862  the  company  was  incorporated 
under  the  name  it  had  borne  so  long.  Seven  hundred 
and  fifty  looms  and  36,500  spindles  are  now  operated  by 
water  and  steam-power. 

In  1809  a  small  cotton 
mill  was  erected  at  Cov- 
entry Centre.  The  fac- 
tory had  300  spindles  in 
1823  and  then  belonged 
to  Lowry  Arnold,  the 
great-grandfather  of  the 
Honorable  Warren  O. 
Arnold,  the  present  rep- 
resentative in  Congress 
from  the  western  Rhode 
Island  district. 

The  Washington 
Manufacturing  Company 
built  a  mill  of  15,000 
spindles  on  the  south 
branch  of  the  Pawtuxet 
in  1812.  Among  the 
members  of  the  com- 
pany were  Caleb  Kil- 
ton,  John  Bissell  and 
Peleg  Wilbur.  This 
mill  was  burned  in  1825, 
but  was  immediately  re- 
placed by  a  much  larger 
factory  built  of  stone, 
which  contained  about 
one  hundred  looms  and 
between  four  and  five 
thousand  spindles. 

The  cotton  manufac- 
ture was  begun  in  1811 
at  the  Social  village, 

Woonsocket,  by  a  company  composed  of  Ariel,  Ab- 
ner  and  Nathan  Ballou,  Eber  Bartlett,  Job  and  Luke 
Jenckes,  Oliver  Leland  and  Joseph  Arnold.  The  first 
mill  was  a  small  wooden  structure,  which  occupied  the 
present  site  of  the  Social  Mill.  A  second  mill  was  built 
in  1827.  In  1841  the  property  came  into  possession  of 
Dexter  Ballou,  who  soon  after  built  a  stone  mill  and  car- 
ried on  the  manufacture  with  great  success.  Mr.  Bal- 
lou engaged  in  the  cotton  manufacture  in  company  with 
his  father  before  1817  at  what  is  now  Ashton.  They  soon 
removed  to  Woonsocket  and  there  Dexter  Ballou  was 
one  of  the  few  men  who  performed  a  leading  pait  in  the 
development  of  the  place.  In  1854  an  interest  in  both 
the  Social  and  Harrison  Mills  was  sold  to  H.  and  R. 


THOMAS  FLETCHER 


FIRST    PRESIDENT   OF   THE    FLETCHER    MANUFACTURING   COMPANY. 


Lippitt,  and  the  Social  Manufacturing  Company  was 
incorporated  in  1855.  The  m'st  m'H  erected  on  the 
Smithfield  side  of  the  river  at  Woonsocket  was  put  up 
in  1827  by  the  Globe  Manufacturing  Company,  consist- 
ing of  Thomas  Arnold,  Thomas  A.  Paine  and  Marvel 
Shove.  This  property  came  into  the  sole  possession  in 
1864  of  Mr.  George  C.  Ballou,  a  brother  of  Dexter,  but 
is  now  operated  by  the  Social  Manufacturing  Company. 
Such  was  the  excellence  of  the  water-power  afforded  by 
the  falls  at  Woonsocket  that  many  manufacturers,  both  of 
cotton  and  wool,  were  attracted  to  the  place,  and  in  1830 
there  were  50,000  spindles  in  operation.  The  men  who 
were  chiefly  instrumental  in  carrying  on  this  develop- 
ment were  the  Ballous  in  cotton  and  Edward  Harris  and 

Welcome  Farnum  in 
woolen  manufacture.  At 
the  present  time  Woon- 
socket is  the  chief  manu- 
facturing centre  in  the 
Blackstone  Valley  north 
of  Pawtucket,  which 
place  it  exceeds  in  some 
respects,  and  in  others 
rivals,  in  the  extent  and 
variety  of  its  industries. 
On  the  Woonasqua- 
tucket  River,  about  eight 
miles  from  Providence, 
a  mill  was  built  by  the 
Georgia  Cotton  Manu- 
facturing Company  in 
1813,  and  the  settlement 
then  and  there  formed 
was  named  Georgiaville. 
The  company  was  com- 
posed of  Samuel  G.  Ar- 
nold, Samuel  Nightingale 
and  Thomas  Thompson. 
In  1831  there  were  in 
operation  here  3 , 700  spin- 
dles and  104  looms,  and 
Israel  Saunders  was  the 
resident  agent.  Half  a 
mile  below  Georgiaville, 
Philip  Allen  started  a  mill 
in  1812,  and  named  the 
village  Allenville.  Mr. 

Allen  was  governor  of  Rhode  Island  from  185110  1853, and 
represented  the  state  in  the  United  States  Senate  from  1853 
to  1 859.  He  established  the  well-known  Allen  Print  Works 
at  the  north  end  of  Providence.  His  brother,  Crawford  Al- 
len also  started  a  similar  establishment  at  Pawtucket.  The 
father  of  these  brothers,  Zachariah  Allen,  was  one  of  the 
first  in  New  England  to  engage  in  calico  printing.  He 
employed  Herman  Vandeusen,  a  native  of  Mulhausen, 
Germany,  who  began  the  business  at  East  Greenwich 
about  the  year  1790.  The  printing  was  done  by  means 
of  wooden  blocks,  and  the  cloth  was  at  first  imported  from 
India.  In  1836  the  chief  calico  printing  establishments 
in  Rhode  Island  were  those  belonging  to  Philip  Allen  in 
Providence,  Crawford  Allen  in  Pawtucket,  and  that  of 


42 


THE    COTTON  CENTENNIAL. 


THOS.  J.  HILL. 

FORMERLY  PARTNER  OF  SAMUEL  SLATER,  FOUNDER  OF  THE  PROVIDENCE  M, 
COMPANY,  AND  PROPRIETOR  OF  THE  ELIZABETH  MILLS. 

William  Sprague  at  Cranston,  all  of  which  did  an  ex- 
cellent business. 

Zachariah  Allen,  a  younger  brother  of  Philip,  founded 
the  village  of  Allendale,  two  or  three  miles  below  Allen- 
ville,  and  there  began  the  manufacture  of  cotton  in  1822, 
afterward  converting  his  establishment  into  a  woolen 
mill,  but  in  1837  again  reverted  back  to  cotton  manufac- 
turing. He  purchased  the  Georgiaville  mills  in  1853, 
and  improved  the  property  to  a  considerable  extent  by 
building  a  large  new  mill  and  constructing  a  mammoth 
dam.  While  he  achieved  success  as  a  manufacturer  by 
his  energy  and  intelligence,  Zachariah  Allen  is  entitled 
to  great  honor  as  the  originator  of  a  number  of  new  ideas 
and  methods  which  have  aided  very  materially  in  bring- 
ing about  the  great  industrial  developments  of  the  last 
fifty  years.  Without  doubt  he  was  the  greatest  inventor 
in  this  sense  that  Rhode  Island  has  produced.  He  in- 
vented and  was  the  first  to  practically  apply  the  auto- 
matic cut-oft"  to  steam  engines,  and  this  improvement  in 
the  opinion  of  experts  was  one  of  the  most  important 
ever  made  in  connection  with  this  great  invention.  When 
he  started  his  cotton  factory  at  Allendale  he  formed  a 
corporation  to  build  reservoirs  to  so  retain  the  surplus 
water  of  the  river  that  it  might  be  used  during  the  drouth 
of  summer  to  operate  his  own  and  other  factories  along 
the  stream.  This  company  was  incorporated  in  1824, 
as  the  Woonasquatucket  River  Company,  and  among  the 
members  were  the  Allen  brothers  and  the  owners  of 


the  Georgiaville  estate.  Reservoirs  were  built  in 
1823,  1827,  1836  and  1838,  covering  a  total  area 
of  nearly  six  hundred  acres,  and  they  were  formed 
by  damming  up  the  headwaters  of  the  river  in  low 
marshy  localities.  In  1834  Mr.  Allen  originated 
the  system  of  mutual  fire  insurance  for  mill  property, 
and  the  following  year  put  his  ideas  into  practice 
by  establishing  the  Manufacturers'  Mutual  Fire 
Insurance  Company  of  Providence.  This  was  the 
first  company  of  the  kind  in  the  world,  and  has 
been  the  model  on  which  all  the  factory  mutual 
insurance  companies  have  been  formed.  It  has 
been  estimated  that  by  this  cooperative  system 
textile  manufactories,  paper  mills,  machine  shops, 
metal  works,  cordage  factories  and  other  similar 
industries  at  present  save  not  less  than  two  million 
dollars  a  year  in  the  cost  of  their  insurance.  As 
one  writer  on  this  subject  says:  "It  has  rarely 
fallen  to  the  lot  of  any  single  man  to  confer  so  great 
a  benefit  in  so  thoroughly  simple  and  scientific  a 
manner  as  has  happened  in  this  case  ;  and  to  Mr. 
Allen  is  due  the  greater  share  in  this  benefit."  He 
introduced  a  better  method  of  transmitting  power 
from  the  motor  to  the  machines  —  by  belting  and 
bands  instead  of  by  gearing.  Beside  all  this  nota- 
ble work  Mr.  Allen  wrote  a  number  of  books.  In 
the  first,  published  in  1829,  and  entitled  "  The  Sci- 
ence of  Mechanics  as  applied  to  the  Useful  Arts 
in  Europe  and  in  the  United  States  of  Amer- 
ica" he  laid  down  the  principles  of  mechanics  as 
applied  to  manufacturing  and  made  many  sugges- 
tions that  proved  of  great  practical  benefit.  Among 
his  other  publications  were:  European  Travels; 
Historical  Sketch  of  the  Improvements  i>r  Transmis- 
sion of  Power  from  Motors  to  Machines  ;  and  Solar 
Light  and  Jfeat,  tJie  Source  and  Supply.  He  was 
also  the  author  of  many  miscellaneous  articles  and 
addresses,  particularly  on  Rhode  Island  and  local  sub- 
jects, but  his  chief  claims  to  fame  rest  on  his  mechanical 
writings  and  on  the  improvements  in  methods  he  sug- 
gested and  introduced.  Mr.  Allen  was  born  in  Prov- 
idence, September  15,  1795.  He  graduated  at  Brown 
University,  and  after  studying  both  medicine  and  law  he 
practiced  as  a  lawyer  before  engaging  in  business  as  a 
manufacturer.  He  died  March  17,  1882,  in  his  eighty- 
seventh  year.  He  was  a  genial,  loving,  kindly  man, 
and  was  possessed  of  a  wonderful  amount  of  public  spirit, 
as  his  efforts  in  many  lines  for  the  advancement  of  the 
community,  in  the  introduction  of  water  into  Providence, 
the  establishing  of  the  free  library  and  numerous  other 
enterprises,  all  testify. 

Thomas  Fletcher,  an  English  cotton  weaver,  came  to 
this  country  in  1791,  and  two  years  later  established  him- 
self in  Boston,  in  the  business  of  weaving  lamp  wicks, 
tapes,  webbing  and  fringes.  In  1808  he  removed  to 
Providence  on  account  of  the  advantage  of  securing  the 
cotton  yarn  he  needed  from  the  new  spinning  mills  that 
had  been  erected.  The  business  at  first  was  carried  on  in 
a  very  small  way,  but  it  increased  continuously,  and  the 
three  sons,  Thomas,  William  and  Joseph  learned  their 
father's  trade.  At  his  death  in  1824,  the  two  older 


PIONEER  AMERICAN  MANUFACTURERS. 


43 


brothers  formed  a  partnership  and  in  1837,  the  youngest, 
Joseph,  was  admitted,  and  the  firm  then  became  Fletcher 
Brothers.  At  the  lowest  water-privilege  on  the  Moshas- 
suck  River,  where  in  the  early  days  of  the  history  of  Prov- 
idence, the  "  town  grist  mill"  had  stood,  they  located 
their  boot,  shoe  and  corset  lace  and  lamp  wick  factory  in 
1840,  and  there  the  business  has  developed  to  immense 
proportions,  since  1865  under  the  name  of  the  Fletcher 
Manufacturing  Company.  The  first  president  of  the 
company  was  Thomas  Fletcher,  the  eldest  son  of  the 
founder  of  the  business. 

A  familiar  figure  on  the  streets  of  the  city  of  Providence 
is  the  veteran  manufacturer  and  machinery  builder,  Mr. 
Thomas  J.  Hill,  whose  business  life  connects  the  time  of 
Slater  with  the  present  in  a  direct  manner.  Mr.  Hill  was 
born  in  Pawtucket  in  1805,  and  when  eight  years  of  age 
went  to  work  in  one  of  the  cotton  mills,  and  continued  to 
work  in  the  old  White  Mill,  and  in  other  factories  in  his 
native  village  until  1822.  In  that  year  he  began  to  learn 
the  trade  of  a  machinist  in  the  shop  of  Pitcher  &  Gay, 
cotton  machinery  builders.  On  the  completion  of  his 
trade  in  1830  Mr.  Hill  came  to  Providence,  and  became 
foreman  of  the  machine  shop  of  the  Steam  Mill,  which 
had  come  into  the  exclusive  possession  of  Samuel  Slater 
the  year  before.  In  1834  Mr.  Hill  entered  into  a  part- 
nership with  Mr.  Slater  under  the  name  of  the 
Providence  Machine  Company,  the  object  being 
the  construction  of  cotton  machinery.  At  first 
the  manufacture  was  carried  on  in  two  rooms  in 
the  Steam  Mill.  The  business  increased  rapidly 
under  Mr.  Hill's  management,  and  in  1845  *:ne 
present  extensive  works  of  the  company  on  Eddy 
.Street  were  erected.  The  interest  of  Mr.  Slater's 
heirs  was  bought  out  by  Mr.  Hill  in  1844.  In 
1869  a  charter  was  secured,  and  in  1874  a  cor- 
poration was  formed,  the  old  name  Providence 
Machine  Company  being  retained.  Mr.  Hill  is 
still  president  of  the  company.  Although  the 
construction  of  cotton  machinery  at  this  estab- 
lishment has  always  been  Mr.  Hill's  chief  busi- 
ness in  life,  he  has  been  very  largely  interested  in 
many  other  manufacturing  enterprises.  The 
principal  one  of  these  undertakings  was  the  found- 
ing in  1867  of  the  village  of  Hill's  Grove,  seven 
miles  from  the  city  of  Providence.  Here  the 
Rhode  Island  Malleable  Iron  Works  was  estab- 
lished during  that  year.  In  1875  he  built  a  cot- 
ton mill  of  20,000  spindles  in  the  village,  and 
named  it  in  honor  of  his  wife  the  Elizabeth  Mill. 
Mr.  Hill  was  a  member  of  the  Providence  city 
council  in  1848,  1852,  1855,  1856,  and  1878. 

At  what  is  now  the  village  of  Pontiac,  the 
water-privilege  nearest  the  mouth  of  the  Paw- 
tuxet  River,  the  inhabitants  of  the  town  of  War- 
wick, previous  to  the  erection  of  mill-dams, 
were  accustomed  to  trap  the  fish  that  migrated 
from  the  ocean  to  the  inland  ponds  to  deposit 
their  spawn.  Here  "weirs"  were  constructed 
and  the  place  became  known  locally  as  '  'the  great 
weir."  The  water-power  was  first  made  use 
of  to  run  a  saw  and  gribt  mill,  by  Henry  and 


Dutee  Arnold  about  1810.  Shortly  afterward  Henry 
Arnold  erected  a  small  mill,  and  carried  on  wool  card- 
ing and  cotton  spinning.  This  mill  was  bought  by 
Rice  A.  Brown,  Jonathan  Knowles  and  Samuel  Fen- 
ner  in  1827,  and  they  operated  it  two  years.  Its  capacity 
was  about  one  thousand  spindles.  The  firm  failed  in 
1829,  and  in  1830  the  property  was  bought  by  John  H. 
Clark.  He  changed  the  name  of  the  village  from  Ar- 
nold's Bridge  to  Clarksville.  Mr.  Clark  was  a  lineal 
descendant  of  Dr.  John  Clark,  the  friend  and  associate  of 
Roger  Williams,  and  on  his  mother's  side  was  descended 
from  Esek  Hopkins,  the  first  commodore  of  the  American 
navy.  He  had  been  agent  of  the  Steam  Mill  in  Prov- 
idence up  to  the  time  of  Slater's  embarrassment.  In 
1834  he  bought  the  remainder  of  the  water-privilege  and 
erected  a  stone  mill,  and  in  1834  started  a  bleachery. 
Mr.  Clark  was  elected  to  the  United  States  Senate  in 
1846,  and  being  thus  taken  away  from  his  business  he 
leased  his  mills  and  bleachery  for  $5,000  a  year  to  Zach- 
ariah  Parker,  who  had  been  the  superintendent,  and  to 
Robert  Knight,  who  had  been  a  clerk  in  the  store.  They 
conducted  the  enterprise  under  the  style  of  Parker  & 
Knight.  The  whole  property  was  purchased  from  Mr. 
Clark  by  Parker  &  Knight  in  1850,  and  the  following 
year  Mr.  Knight  bought  his  partner's  interest.  In  1852 


EX-SENATOR  JONATHAN  CHACE, 


MANUFACTURER. 


44 


THE  COTTON  CENTENNIAL 


Mr.  Knight  sold  one  half  of  the  property  and  business  to 
his  brother.  Benjamin  B.,  and  the  firm  of  B.  B.  &  R. 
Knight  was  formed.  At  the  same  time  the  village  was 
renamed  Pontiac. 

The  development  and  success  of  the  business  of  B.  B. 
&  R.  Knight  have  been  phenomenal.  At  present  they 
are  probably  the  most  extensive  manufacturers  of  cotton 
goods  in  the  United  States,  and  are  the  owners  of  more 
than  a  score  of  mills,  scattered  over  this  and  adjoining 
states.  In  1853  they  purchased  the  mill  property  at 
Hebronville,  Mass.,  and  the  following  year  that  at  Dodge- 
ville.  At  the  latter  place  the  cotton  manufacture  had 
been  started  in  1809  by  Eben  Tyler  of  Pawtucket,  Nehe- 
miah  Dodge,  Peter  Grinnell  and  son,  and  Abner  Dag- 
gett  of  Providence,  Elias  Ingraham  and  Edward  Rich- 
ardson of  Attleboro,  under  the  name  of  the  Attleboro 
Manufacturing  Company.  This  enterprise  under  various 
changes  in  ownership  had  been  uniformly  successful  up 
to  the  time  of  purchase  by  the  Messrs.  Knight.  The 
Grant  Mill  on  Carpenter  Street,  Providence,  was  pur- 
chased by  them  in  1871,  the  mill  at  Manchaug,  Mass.,  in 
1872,  the  White  Rock  Mill,  Westerly,  in  1874,  the  Clin- 
ton Mill,  Woonsocket,  in  1876,  the  property  at  Fiskeville, 
on  the  Pawtuxet  River,  in  1877.  After  the  failure  of  the 
Spragues  their  mills  at  Natick  and  Arctic  were  pur- 
chased by  B.  B.  &  R.  Knight,  and  the  mill  at  River 
Point  also  came  into  their  possession  a  few  years  later. 
All  this  property  has  been  continuously  improved  and 
developed,  new  buildings  erected,  and  the  latest  descrip- 
tions of  machinery  introduced.  From  the  original  home 
of  the  business  at  Pontiac  up  to  Arctic,  on  the  south 
branch  of  the  river  —  a  continuous  track  of  country  six  or 
eight  miles  in  extent  in  the  valley  of  the  Pawtuxet — the 
villages  and  mills  belong  to  this  firm. 

For  a  longer  period  than  any  other  business  house  in 
Rhode  Island  the  firm  of  Brown  &  Ives  has  existed  and 
occupied  a  leading  position.  The  foundation  of  this  his- 
toric house  was  laid  about  the  middle  of  the  last  century 
by  James  and  Obadiah  Brown,  great-grandsons  of  Rev. 
Chad  Brown,  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  Providence.  The 
four  sons  of  James  Brown  formed  the  commercial  firm  of 
Nicholas  Brown  &  Company  about  the  middle  of  the  last 
century.  By  the  withdrawal  of  the  other  three  brothers, 
the  business  was  ultimately  left  in  possession  of  Nicholas. 
He  died  May,  1791,  leaving  a  son  and  daughter,  Nicholas 
and  Hope,  aged  22  and  18  respectively.  Nicholas  became 
a  member  of  the  firm  on  attaining  his  majority.  Thomas 
P.  Ives,  who  had  been  in  the  employ  of  the  house, 
married  Hope  Brown  in  March,  1792,  and  the  same 
month  entered  the  firm,  which  then  assumed  the  stvle  of 
Brown  &  Ives.  This  name  has  been  retained  until  the 
present  by  the  descendents  of  the  original  partners  who 
now  carry  on  the  business.  Nicholas  Brown  was  the 
chief  benefactor  of  Brown  University,  his  gifts  amounting 
to  a  total  of  over  $160,000.  The  name  of  the  institution 
was  in  1804  changed  from  Rhode  Island  College  to 
Brown  University  in  his  honor.  He  was  born  in  Prov- 
idence April  4,  1769,  and  died  September  27,  1841. 
Besides  his  gifts  to  the  University,  he  left  large  sums  to 
the  Providence  Atheiuuum  and  the  Butler  Hospital. 
The  business  of  Brown  &  Ives  continued  to  be  chiefly  com- 


mercial until  about  1830,  but  as  early  as  1804  a  control- 
ling interest  in  a  cotton  mill  erected  that  year  in  Black- 
stone,  Mass.,  was  acquired.  In  1827,  in  connection  with 
Wilbur  Kelly  and  General  Edward  Carrington,  a  cotton 
mill  was  started  at  Lonsdale,  which  became  the  nucleus 
from  which  the  Lonsdale  Company  and  the  other  exten- 
sive enterprises  of  Brown  &  Ives  in  the  Blackstone  Valley 
developed.  A  large  mill  at  Ashton  was  erected  in  1867, 
and  one  at  Berkeley  in  1872.  The  latest  addition  to  the 
property  is  the  Ann  and  Hope  Mill  at  Lonsdale,  erected 
on  the  reputed  site  of  William  Blackstone's  residences 
"  Study  Hill."  The  firm  also  owns  mills  at  Phenix  and 
at  Hope  in  the  Pawtuxet  Valley. 

The  small  factory  of  1,600  spindles,  erected  in  1812, 
on  the  French  River,  a  tributary  of  the  Quinebaug,  in  the 
town  of  Thompson,  Conn.,  by  John  Mason,  General  Jas. 
B.  Mason  and  others,  was  the  nucleus  of  the  large 
property  built  up  by  the  late  Dr.  Wm.  Grosvenor,  and  of 
which  a  brief  account  is  given  in  the  latter  part  of  this 
work.  The  business  of  the  Grosvenor  Dale  Company  is 
one  of  the  most  important  and  extensive,  of  its  kind,  in 
this  country. 

Governor  Elisha  Dyer,  with  his  father,  Elisha  Dyer, 
began  the  manufacture  of  cotton  cloth  in  North  Prov- 
idence, in  1835,  starting  the  Dyerville  mill,  of  which 
Governor  Dyer  was  agent  until  the  death  of  his  father, 
in  1854,  when  he  became  sole  owner  of  the  property  and 
continued  to  run  the  plant  until  1867,  when,  on  account 
of  ill  health,  he  sold  it  to  other  parties.  The  mill  is 
still  run  by  the  Dyerville  Company,  of  which  Truman 
Beckwith  is  treasurer.  The  senior  Elisha  Dyer  was  a 
native  of  Glocester,  and  previous  to  engaging  in  the  man- 
ufacture of  cotton  carried  on  a  commission  business. 
When  a  boy  of  10  years  he  was  apprenticed  to  John 
Fitton,  a  Scotchman,  who  was  so  much  attached  to  him 
that  on  his  death  he  bequeathed  his  business  and  a  large 
share  of  his  property  to  Mr.  Dyer,  who  formed  a  part- 
nership with  a  former  clerk,  and  continued  the  commis- 
sion business  until  1835,  when  the  Dyerville  mill  began 
operations.  Governor  Dyer  died  in  1890.  He  was  gov- 
ernor of  Rhode  Island  in  1857-58. 

The  Patent  Calender  Company,  of  Providence,  the 
predecessor  of  the  Providence  Dyeing,  Bleaching  and 
Calendering  Works,  was  started  in  1814,  the  originators 
being  men  who  became  more  or  less  prominent  in  the 
industry  of  the  state  in  later  years.  The  original  incor- 
porators,  who  carried  on  a  general  business  in  bleaching 
and  dyeing  cotton,  were  John  B.  Mason,  Benjamin 
Dyer,  Charles  Dyer,  Elisha  Dyer,  Benjamin  Hoppin, 
T.  C.  Hoppin,  Henry  Hoppin,  Smith  Bosworth,  Olney 
Dyer  and  Hercules  Whitney.  Benjamin  Hoppin  was 
an  uncle  of  William  Warner  Hoppin,  who  later  held  a 
controlling  interest  in  this  corporation,  and  was  governor 
of  Rhode  Island  in  1854-5-6. 

The  firm  of  A.  D.'  &  J.  Y.  Smith  was  formed  in  1843, 
but  prior  to  this  time  each  of  its  members  had  been 
interested  in  the  cotton  industry  In  1828,  A.  D.  Smith 
hired  what  was  known  as  the  Button-mold  privilege,  in 
Johnston,  and  started  a  cotton  mill  in  connection  with 
Charles  H.  Franklin.  The  mill  was  run  with  a  few 
hundred  spindles  only.  Later  he  became  interested  in 


PIONEER  AMERICAN  MANUFACTURERS. 


the  Union  mill,  and  the  Merino  mill,  and  in  1850  a  con- 
solidation of  these  three  mills  was  effected.  James  Y. 
Smith  became  interested  in  the  cotton  manufacture  in 
1837.  ^'s  father-in-law,  Thomas  Brown,  had  been 
interested  in  the  Scituate  Manufacturing  Company  from 
its  organization  in  1826  in  North  Scituate,  and  Mr. 
Smith  invested  money  in  this  company  on  his  own 
account.  Later,  also,  he  obtained  an  interest  in  the  Ash- 
land Company,  in  North  Scituate,  and  on  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  firm  of  A.  D.  &  J.  Y.  Smith  the  business  in 
this  line  of  manufacture  largely  increased,  one  of  the  im- 
portant purchases 
of  the  firm  being 
the  Providence 
Steam  Mill,  then 
owned  by  Samuel 
Slater  &  Com- 
pany. James  Y. 
Smith  was  governor 
of  the  state  in  1863- 
4-5,  during  the  most 
critical  time  of  the 
War  of  the  Rebel- 
lion— elected  in  the 
latter  year  by  a  ma- 
jority of  every  town 
and  ward  in  the 
state. 

Two  cotton  mills 
were  started  at  Fall 
River  in  the  year 
1813,  the  managers 
and  conductors  of 
both  enterprises  be- 
ing young  men  who 
had  obtained  a 
knowledge  of  the 
manufacture  in  Sla- 
ter's mills  at  Paw- 
tucket.  At  that  time 
the  place  was  a 
small  village  of 
about  three  hundred 
inhabitants,  and  was 
known  by  the  name 
of  Troy.  The  ex- 
cellent water-power 
afforded  by  the  Que- 
quechan  River  in  its 
rapid  descent  down 

the  steep  hill-side  from  the  Watuppa  ponds  to  the  sea, 
was  the  inducement  that  led  to  the  establishing  of  these 
factories.  David  Anthony,  a  young  man  27  years  of  age, 
who  had  worked  as  a  clerk  in  the  White  Mill,  Pawtucket, 
and  had  afterward  operated  a  small  factory  in  Rehoboth, 
formed  the  Fall  River  Manufacturing  Company,  in  March, 
1813.  His  principal  associates  were  Dexter  Wheeler  and 
Abraham  Bowen,  and  the  capital  stock  of  $40,000  was 
subscribed  by  people  in  the  adjoining  towns.  The 
erection  of  a  mill  was  immediately  begun  at  the  head 
of  the  third  fall  from  tide-water.  The  structure  was 


60  x  40  feet  in  dimensions,  three  stories  high,  and 
intended  for  1,500  spindles.  It  was  finished  and  began 
operation  in  October  of  the  same  year.  David  Anthony 
continued  as  active  manager  of  this  concern  until  1836, 
and  during  that  time  and  afterward,  until  his  death,  at 
the  age  of  83,  July  6,  1867,  he  was  prominently  identified 
with  the  organization  of  new  corporations,  and  was  one 
of  the  few  men  whose  labors  developed  Fall  River.  The 
other  enterprise  was  started  by  Oliver  Chace,  and  was 
known  as  the  Troy  Manufacturing  Company.  The  capi- 
tal stock  was  $50,000,  divided  among  twenty-seven  per- 
sons residing  in  the 
neighboring  towns 
of  Tiverton,  New- 
port, Warren,  Re- 
hoboth, Swansea 
and  Somerset.  Mr. 
Chace's  principal 
associates  were 
Nathaniel  Wheeler 
and  Eber  Slade. 
The  mill  erected  by 
this  corporation 
was  much  larger 
than  that  of  the  Fall 
River  Manufactur- 
ing Company,  being 
108  feet  long  by  37 
wide,  and  four  sto- 
ries in  height,  and 
it  was  situated  at 
the  outlet  of  the 
ponds.  Although  it 
was  finished  in  Sep- 
tember, 1813,  the 
machinery  was  not 
started  until  March, 
1814.  Oliver  Chace 
continued  as  stiper- 
i  n  ten  dent  of  the 
Troy  Company  un- 
til 1822,  when  he 
became  agent  for 
the  Pocasset  Com- 
pany, and  his  son, 
Harvey,  succeeded 
him  at  the  Troy 
mills.  In  1839 
Oliver  Chace  pur- 
chased the  estate  on 
the  Cumberland  side  of  the  river  at  Valley  Falls,  R.  I., 
and  established  his  sons  Harvey  and  Samuel  B.  in  busi- 
ness there  as  cotton  manufacturers.  Ex-Senator  Jon- 
athan Chace  and  his  brother,  James  H.,  who  operate  the 
mills  at  Albion,  R.  I.,  are  the  sons  of  Harvey,  while 
Arnold  B.  Chace,  the  treasurer  of  the  Valley  Falls  Com- 
pany, is  the  son  of  Samuel  B.  Other  men  who  were 
especially  conspicuous  in  the  development  of  Fall  River 
were  Major  Bradford  Durfee,  Richard  Borden,  Andrew 
Robeson  and  William  C.  Davol.  Through  the  ex- 
ertions of  themselves  and  their  associates  the  city  has 


DR.   WILLIAM  GROSVENOR, 


BY   WHOM   GROSVENOR    DALE    WAS   BUILT    UP   AND   DEVELOPED. 


THE  COTTON  CENTENNIAL. 


gradually  grown  to  its  leading  position.  At  present  the 
number  of  corporations  engaged  in  the  cotton  manufacture 
is  forty,  owning  sixty-five  mills,  containing  2,128,228 
spindles,  and  49,586  looms,  and  employing  21,750 
persons.  The  massive  factories,  each  several  hundred 
feet  in  length  and  five  and  six  stories  in  height,  the  majority 
of  them  built  of  granite,  loom  up  in  every  section  of  the 
city  and  suburbs. 

Manchester,  N.  H.,  owes  its  origin  and  development 
to  the  Amoskeag  Manufacturing  Company.  In  the  year 
1809  a  small  mill  for  the  manufacture  of  both  cotton  and 
woolen  goods  was  started  at  Amoskeag  Falls,  on  the 
Merrimack  River,  by  Benjamin  Pritchard  and  three 
brothers  named  Stevens.  The  following  year  the  prop- 
erty passed  into  the  hands  of  the  Amoskeag  Cotton  and 
Woolen  Manufacturing  Company,  and  the  mill  was 
carried  on  under  this  name  until  1822,  when  Olney  Rob- 
inson purchased] 
it.  The  place 
was  at  first 
known  as  Goffs- 
town,  and  after- 
wards as  Amos- 
keag Village. 
Samuel  Slater 
purchased  the 
mill  and  water- 
privilege  in  1822, 
and  associating 
with  himself 
Larned  Pitcher, 
Willard  Sayles, 
Lyman  Tiffany, 
Dr.  Oliver  Dean 
and  Ira  Gay,  he 
formed  a  manu- 
factur  i  ng  com- 
pany. Dr.  Dean 
became  the  resi- 
dent agent,  the 
Old  Mill  was  en- 
larged, two 
others  built,  and 
the  business  was 

rapidly  developed.  In  1831  the  company  secured  a  charter 
of  incorporation  from  the  New  Hampshire  legislature, 
under  the  name  of  the  Amoskeag  Manufacturing  Company, 
with  an  authorized  capital  of  $1,000,000.  Nearly  all  the 
land  and  water  rights  on  both  sides  of  the  river  were  then 
bought  up  by  the  new  corporation  until  it  was  possessed  of 
26,000  acres,  including  all  the  mill  sites  and  water-powers 
from  Concord  to  Manchester,  as  the  rapidly  developing 
community  was  then  called.  Since  then  this  corporation 
has  not  only  carried  on  the  cotton  manufacture,  but  has  also 
engaged  in  selling  land,  letting  water-power  and  con- 
structing locomotives,  fire  engines,  turbine  wheels  and 
heavy  tools.  At  present,  however,  all  this  portion  of  the 
business  has  been  disposed  of,  and  the  company  confines 
its  attention  to  the  cotton  manufacture.  The  develop- 
ment of  the  water-power  entered  upon  by  the  Amoskeag 
Company  soon  induced  other  manufacturers  to  locate 


here,  and  as  land  and  water  rights  were  sold  on  easy 
terms,  the  place  rapidly  became  a  great  manufacturing 
centre.  The  name  Manchester  was  given  to  the  place 
because  the  hope  was  formed  that  it  would  stand  in  the 
same  relation  to  the  cotton  manufacture  in  this  country 
as  its  namesake  did  in  England.  Although  this  result 
has  not  been  realized,  it  is  one  of  the  chief  centres  of  the 
industry  in  the  country,  and  ranks  next  to  Lowell. 
Nearly  nine  millions  of  dollars  capital  are  invested,  468,- 
600  spindles  and  15,657  looms  are  operated,  and  about 
twelve  thousand  persons  are  employed  in  the  factories. 

Samuel  Batchelder  became  connected  with  the  spin- 
ning of  cotton  yarn  in  1807,  in  New  Ipswich,  N.  H., 
where  he  established  the  second  cotton  mill  in  that  place, 
which  was  regarded  with  jealousy  by  the  proprietors  of 
the  first  one,  from  a  fear  that  the  business  would  be  over- 
done. The  product  was  woven  into  shirtings,  checks  and 

twilled  goods  by 


THE  ANN  AND  HOPE  MILL,  LONSDALE. 

OCCUPIES   THE    SUPPOSED   SITE   OP  WILLIAM    BLACKSTONE'S    RESIDENCE. 


the  women  in 
the  vicinity,  who 
came  for  miles 
to  obtain  the 
yarn  which  was 
taken  home  to  be 
woven  by  hand. 
During  the  war 
of  1812,  propos- 
ing to  consign 
some  of  his  goods 
to  Boston  mer- 
chants, he  was  in- 
formed that  it 
would  be  dis- 
creditable to 
them  to  sell 
American  goods. 
He  was  obliged 
to  send  them  to 
the  retail  stores 
in  Salem  and 
other  towns,  but 
after  the  war, 
when  commission 
houses  had  been 
established  in  Boston,  Mr.  Batchelder's  goods  were  sold  in 
that  city.  In  1824,  Mr.  Batchelder  became  interested  in  the 
establishment  of  a  factory  in  what  is  now  Lowell.  The 
following  year  he  was  instrumental  in  starting  the  Hamil- 
ton mills,  and  adapted  the  power-loom  to  the  weaving  of 
twills,  something  that  had  not  been  attempted,  even  in 
England.  The  goods  were  sold  so  readily,  and  at  such 
a  price,  that  the  Suffolk  Company  was  formed  and  two 
large  mills  erected  for  the  purpose  of  the  manufacture. 
Mr.  Batchelder  also  began  here  the  making  of  Canton 
flannel.  Remaining  here  six  years,  he  made  arrangements 
to  rebuild  on  the  Saco  River,  in  Maine,  some  old  mills 
that  had  been  burned,  and  in  1831,  he  was  instrumental 
in  forming  the  York  Manufacturing  Company  in  Saco. 
Here  he  invented  the  stop-motion  for  the  drawing  frame, 
and  made  other  improvements  therein.  He  was  inter- 
ested in  this  company,  with  an  interval  of  ten  years  retire- 


PIONEER  AMERICAN  MANUFACTERERS. 


47 


merit  from  the  treastirership,  until  1869,  when  he  was  8^ 
years  old.  He  died  nt  the  advanced  age  of  94  years. 

In  1821  Isaac  Wendell,  of  Dover,  N.  H.,  purchased 
land  and  privileges  on  both  sides  of  the  Salmon  Falls 
River  in  that  state,  and  had  commenced  building  in  Som- 
ersworth,  now  Great  Falls,  when  the  Great  Falls  Manu- 
facturing Company  was  formed  in  1823.  This  company 
engaged  Mr.  Wendell's  services,  and  this  was  the  begin- 
ning of  the  cotton  industry  in  Great  Falls.  The  com- 
pany gives  employment  to  nearly  two  thousand  people 
to-day.  In  1827  the  Cocheco  Manufacturing  Company 
was  established  at  Dover.  In  1822-23  the  lands  around 
the  falls  at  Nashua  were  purchased,  and  in  June,  1823, 
the  Nashua  Manufacturing  Company  was  chartered. 

The  cotton  manufacturing  city  of  Lawrence,  on  the 
Merrimack  River,  ten  miles  below  Lowell,  had  its  begin- 
ning in  1845,  when  the  Essex  Company,  of  which  the 
Honorable  Abbott  Lavvrence,  of  Boston,  was  president, 
and  P.  T.  Jackson,  William  Sturgis,  Nathan  Appleton 
and  John  A.  Lowell  directors,  built  a  dam  across  the 
Merrimack  at  a  cost  of  $250,000,  and  also  constructed  a 
canal  over  a  mile  in  length.  This  work  was  entered 
upon  for  the  purpose  of  affording  a  water-power  for  the 
operation  of  cotton  factories.  The  first  mills  were  built 
in  1846,  and  during  the  next  few  years  many  mills  were 
erected  between  the  canal  and  the  river,  where  they  could 
best  utilize  the  water-power.  The  place  was  named  in 
honor  of  the  Honorable  Abbott  Lawrence,  the  president 
of  the  Essex  Company,  and  a  well-known  citizen  of 
Boston.  One  of  the  greatest  calamities  in  the  annals  of 
the  cotton  manufacture  occurred  here  in  January,  1860, 
when  the  Pemberton  mill  collapsed  during  working  hours, 
burying  in  the  ruins  several  hundred  operatives,  many  of 
whom  lost  their  lives  by  being  crushed,  while  others  were 
burned  in  the  fire  that  started  among  the  wreckage,  before 
they  could  be  extricated.  At  the  present  time,  Lawrence 
is  in  the  first  rank  as  a  cotton  manufacturing  centre.  The 
capital  invested  is  between  eight  and  nine  millions  of 
dollars,  while  415,448  spindles  and  12,445  looms  are 
operated,  and  12,720  operatives  employed. 

It  would  be  an  almost  endless  undertaking  to  enter  into 
details  about  the  men  who  were  conspicuous  in  establish- 
ing the  great  centres  of  the  industry  that  had  their  origin 
in  the  years  succeeding  those  mentioned  in  the  preced- 
ing pages.  The  ever  widening  scope  of  the  industry  has 
constantly  tended  to  make  individuals  less  conspicuous. 
In  the  early  days  many  men  were  noticeable  because  of 
their  sallies  into  new  fields  of  effort,  or  on  account  of  the 
magnitude  of  their  enterprises  as  compared  with  the  gen- 
eral extent  of  the  manufacture,  but  at  present  such  oppor- 
tunities are  lacking  and  there  are  so  many  extensive  estab- 
lishments that  few  are  specially  prominent. 

The  men  who  established  the  first  factories  were  not 
the  only  pioneers  in  the  cotton  manufacture.  So  recently 
has  the  business  been  developed  that  many  of  the  ad- 
vances in  machinery  and  methods  were  made  by  men 
still  living,  and  the  founders  of  some  of  the  great  estab- 
lishments in  various  parts  of  the  country  are  yet  engaged 
in  active  life.  Many  others  who  never  acquired  wealth 
or  became  prominent  and  successful  as  manufacturers, 
contributed  very  largely  to  the  development  of  the  indus- 


try. The  improvements  which  have  brought  the  cotton 
machines  to  the  condition  of  great  perfection  they  possess 
to-day,  resulted  chiefly  from  the  observation  and  experi- 
ments of  a  multitude  of  men  who  were  directly  employed 
either  in  building  or  operating  the  machinery.  These 
mechanics  and  operatives  were  quick  to  gee  that  a  slight 
change  in  one  part,  a  simplification  in  another,  or  a  small 
addition  to  the  mechanism,  would  make  the  machines 
more  effective.  In  the  majority  of  cases  these  improve- 
ments though  valuable  were  relatively  of  little  importance, 
although,  as  a  whole,  the  result  has  been  the  evolution  of 
almost  perfect  mechanical  automatons  in  the  shape  of  cot- 
ton machinery.  The  records  of  the  patent  office  would 
afford  a  clue  to  these  inventors,  but  probably  the  testimony 
thus  secured  would  not  be  absolutely  accurate,  for,  as  in  the 
case  of  the  great  inventions,  the  individual  who  takes  out 
the  patent  is  not  always  and  necessarily  the  person  who 
had  conceived  the  idea.  Many  of  these  improvements, 
too,  were  without  doubt  applied  without  being  patented. 
A  curious  fact,  which  is  true  not  only  of  these,  but  of  all  in- 
ventions, is  that  many  men  seemed  to  conceive  similar  ideas 
simultaneously,  so  that  the  same  improvements  are  often 
found  to  have  been  made  in  places  widely  separated,  with- 
out there  having  been  any  consultation  or  collusion  between 
the  originators.  These  minor  inventions,  at  least,  and 
without  doubt  many  of  the  greater  ones  owe  their  origin 
more  to  the  race  than  they  do  to  individuals,  being  the  out- 
come of  the  general  influences  that  the  community  exerts  or 
which  seem  to  exist  in  the  atmosphere  where  men  congre- 
gate. While  improvements  will  continue  to  be  made  in  cot- 
ton machinery  in  the  same  manner  as  those  already  accom- 
plished, it  is  not  improbable  that  new  principles  may  be  dis- 
covered which  will  entirely  revolutionize  present  methods. 


HENRY    LIPP1TT, 


MANUFACTURER,     TREASURER    Of    THE    SOCIAL    MANUFACTURING    COMPANY. 
GOVERNOR    OF    RHODE     ISLAND    1875-1877. 


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QlflPTER  IV. 


PAWTUCKET,  ITS  ORIGIN  AND  PROGRESS. 

JOSEPH  JENKS  THE  FIRST  SETTLER — ABANDONMENT  OF  THE  SETTLEMENT  DURING  KING  PHILIP'S  WAR— GOVERNOR  JENKS 
AND  THE  OTHER  SONS  OF  JOSEPH  JENKS — THE  FALLS — BUILDING  OF  MILL  DAMS — SERGEANT'S  TRENCH — ORIGIN  OF  THE 
NAME  PAWTUCKET — THE  BLACKSTONE  RIVER — THE  Two  PAWTUCKETS  AND  THE  VARIOUS  CHANGES  IN  LOCAL  GOVERN- 
MENT AND  JURISDICTION — EARLY  SETTLERS  ON  THE  REHOBOTH  SIDE — OZIEL  WILKINSON  AND  His  FAMILY — DAVID 
WILKINSON— TIMOTHY  GREENE— SYLVANUS  BROWN— STEPHEN  JENKS  AND  OTHER  PIONEER  MECHANICS— APPEARANCE  OF 
THE  VILLAGES  AT  DIFFERENT  DATES— THE  OLD  SLATER  MILL  AND  OTHER  FACTORIES— SLATER  MANSION— WATER 
RIGHTS,  WATER  POWERS  AND  WATER  WORKS— FIRST  SCHOOL  AND  CHURCH— FIRST  BANKS— FIRST  FIRE  COMPANY — 
THE  INFLUENCE  OF  THE  PAST  UPON  THE  PRESENT  AND  FUTURE. 


Pawtucket's  chief  claim  to  distinction  in  a  historical 
sense  is  that  it  was  the  birthplace  of  the  cotton  manufact- 
ure in  America.  But  this  is  no  slight  honor,  as  that  event 
marked  a  new  era,  which  in  its  social  and  industrial  aspects 
has  scarcely  a  parallel.  Pawtucket's  fame,  however, 
does  not  rest  wholly  on  this  far  reaching  occurrence,  for 
from  its  earliest 
beginning  it 
was  a  work- 
shop for  a  large 
section  of  the 
surroundin  g 
country,  and 
was  also  the 
home  of  many 
ingenious  me- 
chanics. 

Tvventyyears 
after  Roger 
Williams  set- 
tled at  Provi- 
dence Joseph 
Jenks,  attract- 
ed to  the  local- 
ity by  the  ex- 
cellent water- 
power  and  by 
the  abundance  of  fine  timber  in  the  virgin  forests  on 
both  banks  of  the  stream,  settled  at  Pawtucket  Falls.  He 
wasaworkerin  brass  and  iron,  having  learned  the  business 
with  his  father,  also  named  Joseph,  who  is  supposed  to  have 
come  to  America  with  Governor  Winthrop.  This  original 
Joseph  Jenks  is  credited  with  being  "  the  first  founder 
who  worked  in  brass  and  iron  on  the  Western  Continent ;  by 
his  hands  the  first  models  were  made,  and  the  first  cast- 
ings taken  of  many  domestic  implements  and  iron  tools." 
That  he  was  a  mechanic  of  unusual  skill  is  evident  from 
the  fact  that  he  obtained  a  patent  from  the  General  Court 
of  Massachusetts  in  1646  for  a  water  wheel,  "  mills  for 
ye  making  of  sithes  and  other  edged  tools,"  and  for  a  saw 
mill.  In  1655  he  obtained  another  patent  for  an  im- 
proved scythe,  the  blade  being  made  much  longer  and 
thinner  than  formerly,  and  having  a  bar  of  iron  welded 
on  the  back  to  strengthen  it. 


THE   FALLS  EARLY   IN  THE  CENTURY. 

(From  an  original  in  tht  possession  of  General  Qltiey  Arnold.) 


The  younger  Jenks,  the  settler  of  Pawtucket,  was  born 
in  Buckinghamshire,  England,  in  1636,  and  came  to 
America  in  1645,  some  years  after  his  father's  arrival. 
For  ten  years  he  labored  with  his  father  at  Lynn,  and 
then,  no  doubt  thoroughly  equipped  as  a  master  in  his 
craft,  he  started  out  for  himself.  According  to  a  well 

authenticated 
tradition  it  was 
in  the  year  1655 
he  built  a  forge 
in  a  deep  ravine 
a  short  distance 
below  Paw- 
tucket Falls,  on 
the  west  side, 
and  began  to 
make  common 
iron  utensils 
and  tools,  find- 
ing a  market  in 
Providence  and 
the  surround- 
ing settlements. 
As  the  working 
of  iron  is  one 
of  the  most  nec- 
essary and 

fundamental  occupations,  this  forge  quickly  became  the 
nucleus  of  an  industrial  settlement.  New  settlers  were 
attracted,  clearings  were  made  and  houses  built,  and  soon 
a  little  village  had  grown  up.  During  King  Philip's  War, 
1675-6,  the  little  settlement  was  broken  up  and  the  forge 
and  most  of  the  dwellings  were  burned  by  the  Indians, 
but  after  the  death  of  Philip  the  settlers  returned,  the 
forge  was  rebuilt,  new  houses  erected  or  the  ruined  ones 
made  habitable,  and  the  industrial  life  of  the  little  com- 
munity moved  on  as  before. 

Joseph  Jenks  attained  some  political  distinction  in  the 
colony,  as  in  old  documents  he  is  given  the  title  of 
"assistant,"  which  corresponds  to  senator  or  lieutenant- 
governor.  He  had  four  sons,  and  the  family  attained  an 
important  position  in  the  colony.  The  eldest  son,  also 
named  Joseph,  was  deputy  governor  for  eleven  years, 
from  1715  to  1721,  and  from  1722  to  1727,  and  governor 


50 


THE   COTTON   CENTENNIAL 


from  1727  to  1732-  He  was  a  man  of  great  stature, 
almost  a  giant  in  size,  but  evidently  his  mind  corres- 
ponded to  his  body,  as  not  only  did  he  take  a  prominent 
position  in  public  affairs  outside  of  his  duties  as  governor 
and  deputy  governor,  but  he  doubtless  developed  the 
.water-privilege  at  the  falls  and  greatly  increased  the 
business  begun  by  his  father.  The  three  other  sons  were, 
Nathaniel,  Ebenezer  and  William.  The  first  is  given 
the  title  of  major  and  probably  was  an  officer  in  the 
colonial  militia  ;  Ebenezer  became  a  preacher,  and  Wil- 
liam a  judge.  Governor  Jenks  died  June  15,  1740,  in 
his  84th  year. 

Ezekiel  Holliman,  one  of  Roger  Williams  associates, 
is  thought  to  have  been  the  first  white  possessor  of  the 
land  on  the  west  side  of  the  river  at  Pawtucket  Falls, 
and  from  him  or  his  heirs  it  is  likely  Joseph  Jenks  made 
his  first  purchase.  In  1671  he  purchased  another  tract 
from  Abel  Potter,  who  had  acquired  it  through  his  wife, 
a  granddaughter  of  Ezekiel  Holliman.  Ultimately  most 
of  the  land  on  the  west  bank  came  into  possession  of  the 
Jenks  family. 

The  falls  originally  were  very  irregular  in  appearance, 
consisting  of  a  number  of  shelving,  detached  and  pro- 
jecting ledges,  and  while  they  furnished  an  excellent 
water-power,  as  the  industries  in  the  neighborhood 
increased  the  building  of  dams  was  found  necessary.  In 
1718  the  lower  dam  was  built.  This  was  made  by 
uniting  some  of  the  upper  ledges  forming  the  falls.  Pre- 
vious to  this  period  there  was  an  old  dam  on  the  western 
side,  extending  three-fourths  of  the  way  across,  and  there 
was  also  a  partial  dam  for  a  saw  mill  on  the  east  side. 
The  lower  dam  was  a  substitute  for  both  these  earlier 
ones.  Manufacturing,  however,  was  regarded  of  so  little 
account  in  those  days  that  the  farmers  who  resided  further 
up  the  stream  considered  the  falls  only  in  the  light  of  an 
obstruction  which  prevented  the  fish  —  shad  and  alewives 
—  from  coming  up  to  spawn.  About  the  year  1714,  a 
canal  was  dug,  on  the  western  side  of  the  river,  beginning 
above  the  falls,  running  around  them,  and  emptying  into 
the  river  ten  rods  below.  This  channel,  known  as  Ser- 
geant's trench,  followed  the  lines  of  an  old  gutter 
through  which  a  portion  of  the  water  flowed  during 
freshets,  and  was  designed  as  a  passage  way  for  fish  ;  but 
it  failed  of  its  purpose,  and  after  1730  was  utilized  for 
manufacturing.  The  desire  to  overcome  the  obstacles 
the  falls  presented  was  not  destroyed  by  this  failure,  as  in 
1761  the  General  Assembly  authorized  a  lottery  to  raise 
£1,50x3  to  pay  the  cost  of  making  a  passage  around  the 
falls,  "  so  that  fish  of  almost  every  kind  who  choose  fresh 
water  at  certain  seasons  of  the  year  may  pass  with  ease." 
A  dozen  years  afterward  another  act  was  passed  em- 
powering any  one  to  break  down  or  blow  up  the  rocks 
at  the  falls,  the  same  end  being  sought  as  in  the  other 
instances.  These  laws  failed  utterly  to  bring  about  the 
desired  result.  Another  dam  was  built  in  1792,  twenty 
rods  above  the  lower  dam,  and  just  above  the  head  of 
Sergeant's  trench.  This  was  known  as  the  upper  dam, 
and  was  probably  constructed  to  furnish  a  suitable  supply 
of  water  for  the  Old  Slater  Mill. 

The  falls  gave  the  name  to  the  settlements  that  grew 
up  in  the  neighborhood  on  both  banks  of  the  river, 


although  the  west  side  was  Rhode  Island  territory  and 
the  east  side  was  in  Massachusetts.  The  word  Paw- 
tucket  is  of  Indian  origin,  and  has  been  said  to  mean 
"  falls  of  water."  For  a  long  time  the  river  was  known 
by  this  name,  then  it  was  only  applied  to  that  portion 
below  the  falls,  but  at  present  it  has  even  been  supplanted 
there,  the  name  Seekonk  being  now  generally  used  to  indi- 
cate the  lower  reaches  of  the  river.  In  its  whole  course 
above  Pawtucket  the  river  bears  the  name  of  Blackstone, 
in  memory  of  the  first  settler  of  Boston,  the  Rev.  William 
Blackstone,  the  story  of  whose  life  and  movements  in  the 
dawn  of  colonial  life  is  enveloped  with  so  much  romance 
and  mystery. 

The  Rhode  Island  side  of  the  river  was  always  the 
most  important  and  populous.  Here  the  Jenkses  carried 
on  their  business,  and  the  forges,  grist  and  saw  mills 
were  chiefly  located  at  the  west  side  of  the  falls.  Origin- 
ally this  section  was  within  the  territorial  bounds  of 
Providence.  North  Providence  was  set  oft"  as  a  separate 
town  in  1765,  and  the  village  of  Pawtucket  was  the  most 
important  place  in  its  limits,  which  position  it  continued 
to  hold  until  consolidated  with  the  other  side  of  the  river 
as  a  Rhode  Island  town,  May  I,  1874.  The  Massachu- 
setts Pawtucket  was  in  the  limits  of  the  old  town  of  Re- 
hoboth  until  1812,  when  the  territory  was  divided  and 
the  western  part,  including  Pawtucket,  was  formed  into 
the  town  of  Seekonk.  In  the  spring  of  1828  Seekonk 
was  divided,  and  the  village  on  the  east  side,  which  then 
had  only  between  four  or  five  hundred  inhabitants, 
was  constituted  a  Massachusetts  town,  by  the  name  of 
Pawtucket.  The  first  town  meeting  was  held  in  the 
Baptist  church  on  School  Street,  March  17,  1828. 
On  March  I,  1862,  by  the  settlement  of  the  boundary 
question,  the  town  of  Pawtucket  was  ceded  to  Rhode 
Island  in  exchange  for  the  town  of  Fall  River,  which 
was  given  to  Massachusetts.  Three  years  later  its 
population  was  about  5,000,  but  the  village  on  the 
other  side  of  the  river  was  then  twice  as  large.  The 
two  places  were  formed  into  one  town  May  i,  1874, 
and  the  population  of  the  united  community  in  1875  was 
18,464.  North  Providence's  population  in  1870  was 
20,495,  but  in  1875,  after  Pawtucket  had  been  separated 
from  it,  there  were  only  i  ,303  left.  After  some  years  of 
agitation,  Pawtucket  was  incorporated  as  a  city  by  an  act 
passed  March  27,  1885,  which  was  accepted  by  thecitizens 
April  ist  of  the  same  year  by  a  vote  of  i  ,450  in  favor  to 
721  against.  The  new  city  government  was  organized 
January  4,  1886. 

Who  the  earliest  settlers  at  the  falls  on  the  Rehoboth 
side  were  is  uncertain.  Rehoboth  was  settled  by  Rev. 
Samuel  Newman,  who  with  a  company  of  his  congre- 
gation removed  from  Dorchester  to  Seekonk,  about  four 

O 

miles  to  the  south  of  the  falls.  It  is  supposed  that  some 
of  the  members  of  this  community  first  located  near  the 
falls,  and  the  names  of  Bucklin,  Read  and  Smith  are 
found  on  the  early  records  as  possessors  of  the  land.  In 
the  beginning  of  the  last  century  there  were  very  few 
residents.  By  1750  a  small  hamlet  had  grown  up,  and 
there  was  a  potash  factory,  a  linseed  oil  mill,  and  boats 
and  rigged  vessels  were  built  at  the  landing. 

Up  to  the  time  of  the  Revolution  the  village  of  Paw- 


PAWTUCKET,  ITS  ORIGIN  AND  PROGRESS. 


51 


tucket  was  a  very  small  place.      The    whole    town    of 
North  Providence  in  1774  only  contained  830  inhabitants, 
and  of  this  number  probably  not  more  than  500  were  at 
the  falls.     The  farming  towns    in  the  state  had  a  much 
larger  population  and  were  relatively  of  much    greater 
importance.      A  new    era    however    dawned    with    the 
return  of  peace.     Oziel  Wilkinson,  with  his  family,  con- 
sisting of  five    sons   and    four    daughters,    moved   from 
Smithfield    to    Pawtucket   about  the    year    1783,   being 
induced  to  take  this  step  by  the  ample  water-power  and 
convenient  nearness  of  the  mills   and  forges  at  the  falls. 
He    and    his    older    sons    were     blacksmiths,    excellent 
mechanics,  and  some  of  them  gifted  with  the  inventive 
faculty    in    rare   degree.      Through    their   exertions    the 
village  of  Pawtucket  became  the  principal  centre  of  the 
iron    and    machinery    manufacture    in    this    part  of  the 
country  during  the  last  quarter  of  the  eighteenth  century, 
and  the  first  quarter  of  the  present  century.     Mr.   Wil- 
kinson was  born  in  Smithfield,  January  30,  1744.  so  that 
he  was  about  40 
years  old  when 
he  removed    to 
Pawtucket.  He 
started   an    an- 
chor     mill      in 
1784-5,      made 
cut  nails,  farm- 
ing   tools    and 
domestic    uten- 
sils.    He  was  a 
very  alert,     in- 
dustrious,   and 
shrewd       man, 
and  in  addition 
to  his  iron  busi- 
ness,   engaged 
in  various  other 
enterprises . 
With   his    son- 
in-law,  Samuel 
Slater,     and 
others,   he  em- 
barked in  the  cotton  manufacture  soon  after  the  Old  Mill 
was  an  assured  success.     He  built  thirteen  miles  of  the 
road  between  Pawtucket  and  Boston  in  1804,  and  in  after 
years  this  turnpike  afforded  him  easy  access  to  Boston, 
where  he  carried  his  nails  to  market.     The  building  now 
occupied  by  the  American  Hair  Cloth  Padding  Company 
stands  on  the  site  of  Oziel  Wilkinson's  anchor  shop,  and 
is  built  across  Sergeant's  trench.      Oziel  Wilkinson  died 
in  1815. 

Samuel  Slater  arrived  at  Pawtucket  at  an  opportune 
time.  The  village  had  been  developed  and  invigorated, 
by  the  incoming  of  the  Wilkinsons.  Slater's  marriage 
to  Hannah  Wilkinson  brought  about  a  union  of  interests 
that  resulted  to  the  mutual  benefit  of  himself,  and  his 
father-in-law's  family,  and  these  relationships  had  a  great 
influence  in  aiding  in  the  development  of  Pawtucket  and 
the  extension  of  the  cotton  industry.  The  Wilkinson 
brothers  formed  two  co-partnerships,  Abraham  and 
Isaac,  who  engaged  in  cotton  manufacturing,  and  David 


PAWTUCKET,  WEST  SIDE,  IN  1830. 

(From  the  old  print.) 


and  Daniel,  who  were  machinery  builders.  A.  &  I. 
Wilkinson  started  mills  at  Valley  Falls  and  Albion. 
When  the  disastrous  time  of  1829  came,  all  the  Wil- 
kinsons lost  heavily,  and  eventually  their  mills  and  shops 
passed  into  other  hands. 

The  most  famous  of  Oziel  Wilkinson's  sons  was  David. 
He  became  a  very  skillful  machinist  and  developed  great 
talent  as  an  inventor.  In  1797  he  invented  a  gauge  and 
sliding  lathe,  and  obtained  a  patent  for  it  the  following 
year,  but  before  he  realized  any  profit  the  patent  expired. 
Fifty  years  afterward  Congress  voted  him  $10,000,  as  a 
partial  recompense,  many  machines  constructed  on  the 
principle  he  had  invented  being  in  use  at  the  different 
national  arsenals  and  armories.  David  Wilkinson  forged 
the  iron  work  and  turned  the  spindles  and  rollers  for 
Slater's  first  machines,  and  it  is  probable  that  he  made 
the  machinery  for  the  Old  Mill.  Soon  after  he  began 
the  systematic  construction  of  cotton  machinery,  being 
without  doubt  the  first  American  builder.  He  occupied 

as  a  machine 
shop,  the  lower 
floor  of  the 
stone  factory 
constructed  by 
his  father  in 
18 1  o.  About  the 
year  1813  he 
removed  his 
business  to  the 
south  side  of 
Main  Street 
near  the  bridge, 
where  he  le- 
mained  until 
his  failure  in 
1829.  It  was 
in  this  shop  that 
the  first  power- 
looms  intro- 
duced by  Gil- 
mo  u  r  were 
built.  He  was 
one  of  the  original  directors  of  the  Cohoes  Company, 
which  was  organized  to  develop  the  water-power  at 
Cohoes  Falls,  on  the  Mohawk  River,  New"  York  state. 
After  his  failure  in  1829  he  removed  to  Cohoes  on  the 
urgent  invitation  of  some  of  the  members  of  this  company, 
and  early  in  1831,  in  company  with  his  brother-in-law 
Hezekiah  Howe,  who  had  also  been  his  business  asso- 
ciate in  Pawtucket  and  Wilkinsonville,  established  a  shop 
for  the  manufacture  of  cotton  machinery.  These  two 
men  bore  an  important  part  in  the  development  of  Cohoes. 
Mr.  Wilkinson,  however,  while  retaining  his  interest 
there  did  not  long  remain  in  Cohoes,  but  engaged  in  the 
building  of  bridges  and  canals  in  various  -sections  of  the 
country.  He  died  February  3,  at  Caledonian  Springs, 
Prescott  County,  Canada  West,  aged  81  years. 

Timothy  Greene,  one  of  Oziel  Wilkinson's  sons-in- 
law,  and  a  partner  in  the  White  and  the  Wilkinson  & 
Greene  mills,  aided  materially  in  the  industrial  develop- 
ment of  Pawtucket.  He  was  born  in  Warwick,  June  12, 


52 


THE   COTTON   CENTENNIAL 


1760,  and  was  a  shoe-maker  by  trade.  He  came  to  Paw- 
tucket  some  time  after  Oziel  Wilkinson,  and  started  a 
tannery.  In  1810  the  other  partners  bought  out  Mr. 
Slater's  interest  in  the  White  Mill,  and  from  that  time 
ran  the  business  under  the  style  of  Wilkinson,  Greene  & 
Company.  When  the  mill  was  burned  in  1824,  it  was 
immediately  rebuilt  by  Timothy  Greene  &  Sons.  The 
Greenes  were  seriously  affected  by  the  financial  troubles 
of  1829,  but  partially  recovered  themselves.  The  factory 
long  known  as  the  Greene  Mill  and  at  present  as  Hicks' 
Mill,  which  is  built  over  Sergeant's  trench  near  its 
entrance  into  the  river,  occupies  the  site  of  Timothy 
Greene's  tannery. 

Sylvanus  Brown,  in  whose  house  Samuel  Slater  spent 
his  first  night  in  Pawtucket,  and  who  assisted  Slater  in 
building  his  first  machines,  performed  services  worthy  of 
remembrance.  He  was  a  mechanic  of  unusual  skill. 
At  the  close  of  the  Revolutionary  War  he  was  engaged 
by  the  governor  of  the  British  provinces  to  go  to  Halifax 
and  erect  a  number  of  saw  and  grist  mills,  for  which  all 
the  iron  work  was  made  in  Pawtucket,  and  fifty  Paw- 
tucket  mechanics  were  engaged  by  Mr.  Brown  to  accom- 
pany him.  Two  years  were  spent  on  this  enterprise,  and 
seven  saw  mills  and  two  grist  mills  were  built.  Such 
was  the  confidence  in  his  ability  in  his  own  line,  that  to 
him  Moses  Brown  naturally  turned  for  advice  regarding 
Slater's  ability,  and  he  was  evidently  the  man  best  fitted 
to  perform  the  task  of  helping  Slater.  After  returning 
from  his  labors  in  the  British  provinces,  Mr.  Brown  built 
Quaker  Lane,  which  extended  from  Main  Street  to  the 
Landing,  and  substantially  followed  the  lines  of  the  pres- 
ent beginnings  of  East  Avenue  and  Pleasant  Street.  It 
received  its  name  from  the  fact  that  Oziel  Wilkinson, 
Timothy  Greene,  Benjamin  Arnold  and  other  substantial 
citizens  who  were  members  of  the  Society  of  Friends, 
owned  property  and  had  their  houses  in  the  neighbor- 
hood. The  building  where  Samuel  Slater  and  Sylvanus 
Brown  began  the  construction  of  the  cotton  machinery 
was  situated  on  this  lane.  Behind  locked  doors  and  win- 
dows shielded  by  shutters  and  blinds  the  two  men  worked, 
their  only  assistant  being  an  old  negro  named  Samuel 
Primus  or  Primus  Jenks,  who  did  the  rough  parts  of  the 
work  and  supplied  what  power  was  needed  by  the  appli- 
cation of  his  own  muscles  to  the  wheels.  Very  much  of 
the  success  of  Slater's  undertaking  was  owing  to  Sylvanus 
Brown's  skill,  patience  and  faithfulness.  According  to 
some  traditional  accounts  he  discovered  the  means  to 
make  the  cards  work,  a  difficulty  that  had  given  Slater 
much  trouble,  and  had  been  the  means  of  almost  causing 
him  to  throw  up  the  undertaking.  Mr.  Brown  invented, 
soon  after  the  first  spinning  machines  were  in  operation, 
a  slide  lathe  for  turning  rollers,  a  machine  for  fluting 
them,  and  other  appliances  for  use  in  building  machinery. 
These  inventions  were  used  in  constructing  the  machines 
put  into  the  Old  Mill,  and  they  proved  of  great  value  in 
aiding  the  development  of  the  manufacture  in  subsequent 
years.  Sylvanus  Brown's  son,  James  S.  Brown,  and  his 
grandson,  James  Brown,  have  well  sustained  his  rep- 
utation, and  as  builders  of  cotton  machinery  have  fol- 
lowed worthily  in  his  footsteps. 

Among  other  Pawtucket  mechanics  who  were  prom- 


inent during  the  first  part  of  the  century  were  Larned 
Pitcher,  Ira  Gay,  John  Thorp  and  Asa  Arnold.  The 
latter  invented  the  differential  motion  for  speeders,  and 
also  devised  a  machine  for  separating  wool ;  Ira  Gay 
invented  a  dresser  and  a  speeder,  and  the  others  were 
successful  inventors  and  machinery  builders. 

The  Jenks  family  has  always  borne  an  important 
part  in  the  industrial  life  of  Pawtucket.  Although  the 
records  of  the  successive  forge  and  shops  that  were 
established  from  the  time  of  the  first  Joseph  Jenks  are 
very  meagre,  yet  it  is  known  that  his  descendants 
were  men  of  enterprise  and  followed  in  their  ancestor's 
footsteps.  Captain  Stephen  Jenks  manufactured  mus- 
kets in  Pawtucket  during  the  year  1775.  The  great 
freshet  of  1807  carried  away  many  of  the  buildings  in 
the  neighborhood  of  the  falls,  including  all  on  the  "forge 
lot,"  so  called,  which  extended  from  the  western  end  of 
the  bridge  to  the  lane  now  called  Jenks  Avenue.  This 
lot  was  the  original  location  of  Pawtucket's  iron  in- 
dustries, and  was  owned  by  the  Jenks  family.  After  the 
flood  new  structures  were  immediately  erected.  Eleazer 
Jenks  and  his  sons,  Stephen  and  Eleazer,  Jr.,  rebuilt  the 
forge  shop  ;  Moses  Jenks  built  a  grist  mill,  and  his  sons 
Pardon  and  Jabez,  erected  a  building  for  carding.  In 
the  forge  shop  a  trip  hammer  was  operated,  heavy  forg- 
ing was  done  and  mule  spindles  were  manufactured. 
Stephen  Jenks  here  had  a  machine  of  his  own  invention 
for  cutting  spikes.  He  also  started  a  cotton  picker,  the 
first  in  Pawtucket,  and  with  it  picked  all  the  cotton  for 
the  neighboring  mills.  Previously  the  raw  cotton  had 
been  sent  out  to  families  to  be  picked,  but  very  soon  after 
Mr.  Jenks  started  his  machine  it  was  brought  to  the 
forge  shop  from  all  the  mills  for  miles  around,  and  was 
returned  in  bags  in  condition  to  be  used.  This  business 
was  continued  until  about  1817  or  1818,  when  pickers 
came  into  general  use  in  the  mills. 

Dr.  D wight  writing  in  1810,  after  a  visit  to  Paw- 
tucket said :  "The  village  is  well  built  and  wears  a 
flourishing  aspect.  .  .  .  There  is  probably  no  spot 
in  New  England  of  the  same  extent  in  which  the  same 
quantity  or  variety  of  manufacturing  business  is  carried 
on."  The  same  writer  says  that  in  1796  "there  were 
here  three  anchor  forges,  one  tanning  mill,  one  flouring 
mill,  one  slitting  mill,  three  snufF  mills,  one  oil  mill, 
three  fulling  mills,  one  clothier's  works,  one  cotton 
factory  (the  Old  Mill),  two  machines  for  cutting  nails, 
one  furnace  for  casting  hollow  ware  —  all  moved  by 
water — one  machine  for  cutting  screws,  moved  by  a 
horse,  and  several  forges  for  smiths  work." 

At  the  beginning  of  the  century  the  number  of  dwell- 
ings in  Pawtucket  was  only  a  few  over  fifty,  —  seventeen 
on  the  east  side  and  about  twice  as  many  on  the  other. 
There  was  only  one  street  on  the  east  side,  and  that 
followed  the  lines  of  the  present  Main,  Walcott  and 
North  Bend  streets.  On  the  west  side  there  were  only 
four  short  streets,  Main  extended  from  the  bridge  to 
High  Street,  and  beyond  that  as  a  lane  as  far  as  what 
is  now  Dexter  Street;  Mill  Street,  now  North  Main,  was 
only  a  narrow  road  leading  as  far  as  Slater's  mill ; 
High  Street  extended  as  far  as  the  present  high  school 
building;  Quaker  Lane  was  the  present  East  Avenue  to 


PAWTUCKET,  ITS  ORIGIN  AND  PROGRESS. 


53 


the  junction  of  Pleasant  Street,  and  beyond  it  continued 
as  a  narrow  highway  to  Providence. 

The  Rehoboth  side  of  the  river  seems  to  have  attracted 
cotton  spinners  to  a  greater  extent  than  the  western  side. 
Thus  in  1812  Rehoboth  had  eight  factories  with  a 
capacity  of  9,438  spindles,  while  in  North  Providence 
there  were  only  five  mills  with  6,700  spindles.  Probably 
these  figures  included  mills  not  in  Pawtucket,  but  in  other 
parts  of  the  two  towns.  The  North  Providence  side  was, 
however,  the  larger  of  the  two  places  and  had  more 
general  business. 

In  1819  the  Rhode  Island  Pawtucket  consisted  of  eighty- 
three  dwelling-houses,  twelve  stores,  two  churches,  a 
bank,  post-office,  academy,  several  schools,  three  cotton 
mills  and  six  machine  shops,  all  of  which  were  located 
on  the  four  streets  in  the  near  neighborhood  of  the  river. 
In  the  Pawtucket  shops  machinery  was  constructed  for 
cotton  mills  in  all  parts  of  the  country,  and  was  sent  to 
places  in  Connecticut,  Massachusetts,  Vermont,  to 
Trenton,  N.  J., 
to  the  factories 
near  Baltimore, 
Md.,toPittsburg, 
Pa.,  to  Delaware, 
Virginia,  North 
Carolina,  Lou- 
isiana, and  Geor- 
gia. This  busi- 
ness continued 
until  1829,  when 
the  failures  of  the 
Wilkinsons  and 
others  gave  Paw- 
t u c ket  a  blow 
from  which  she 
did  not  recover 
for  many  years, 
and  which  op- 
erated to  retard 
her  development 
while  other  and 


VIEW  ON  EAST  SIDE,  1825. 

(From  an  old  print.) 


younger  places  were  becoming  great  cotton  centres. 

Among  the  most  interesting  features  of  Pawtucket  are 
various  old  factories,  built  by  Slater  and  his  contem- 
poraries, which  are  still  in  existence  and  use.  Chief 
among  these,  is  the  historic  Old  Slater  Mill.  The 
building  as  seen  to-day,  is  a  modern-looking  wooden 
structure,  two-stories  and  a  half  in  height,  the  main  por- 
tion ninety  feet  long  by  forty-five  feet  wide,  with  a  continua- 
tion fifty  by  twenty-five  feet,  which  extends  to  the  river, 
thus  making  the  total  length  140  feet.  It  stands  at  right 
angles  to  the  course  of  the  river,  and  the  east  end  is 
directly  on  the  river  bank  overlooking  the  upper  falls. 
Originally  the  Old  Mill  was  a  small  two  story  building 
about  forty  feet  long  by  twenty-five  wide.  The  exten- 
sion toward  the  river  is  said  to  have  been  built  about 
1820,  and  other  additions  were  made  in  subsequent  years. 
The  mill  came  into  the  possession  of  Francis  Pratt  and 
Job  L.  Spencer  in  1864,  at  which  time  it  consisted  of 
the  original  building  and  the  extension,  while  a  one-story 
ell  was  situated'alongside  the  larger  part  of  the  building 


on  the  same  side  with  the  tower.  Messrs.  Pratt  and 
Spencer  remodeled  the  entire  structure  by  adding  a  half 
story  to  the  main  building,  and  carried  up  the  one-story 
part  to  the  same  height  as  the  rest  of  the  edifice,  at  the 
same  time  putting  on  a  new  roof,  with  modern  windows 
in  place  of  the  old  low  ones  that  had  formerly  served. 
The  limits  of  the  original  structure  can  yet  be  easily 
discerned  through  means  of  the  old  timbers,  which  are 
of  oak,  and  are  roughly  hewn.  They  are  very  hard  and 
durable,  and  when  the  alterations  were  made  in  the  mill 
the  workmen  found  it  a  difficult  task  to  cut  into  the 
staunch  old  oaken  beams.  The  water-privilege  here 
has  a  force  of  about  seventy  horse-power.  Near  by  the 
Old  Slater  Mill  is  a  three-story  brick  building,  built  by 
Almy,  Brown  &  Slater,  and  used  by  them  as  a  retail  store 
at  which  the  country  people  used  to  exchange  their  butter, 
eggs,  and  poultry  for  yarn  to  be  woven  at  home.  The 
Old  Mill  is  still  used  for  its  original  purpose,  and  cotton 
yarns,  twines,  and  thread  are  manufactured  on  the  first 

floor.  In  an  ad7 
joining  building, 
in  the  office  of 
Mr.  J.  L.  Spen- 
cer, who  operates 
the  cotton  ma- 
chinery, are  some 
very  interesting 
relics.  Here  is 
the  original  lock 
of  the  mill  door. 
It  is  eighteen  in- 
ches in  length, 
nine  broad,  set  in 
oak,  with  an  iron 
key  nine  inches 
in  length.  This 
key  has  recently 
been  lost.  There 
are  a  few  other 
relics,  among 
them  being  five 
spindles,  with  their  stands  and  fixtures,  and  a  head  of 
steel  rollers,  from  the  first  spinning  machines.  Here 
there  is  also  a  yard  stick  that  saw  service  in  the  retail 
store  in  Slater's  time. 

Next  in  age  to  the  Old  Mill,  is  the  structure  on  the  east 
side  that  has  always  been  known  as  the  White  Mill. 
The  erection  of  this  factory  was  begun  in  1799,  and  it 
was  ready  for  operation  in  1801,  the  firm  being  Samuel 
Slater  &  Company.  Mr.  Slater  withdrew  in  1810,  when 
the  style  was  changed  to  Wilkinson,  Greene  &  Com- 
pany. In  1824  the  mill  was  burned,  but  was  imme- 
diately rebuilt  in  an  enlarged  form  by  Timothy  Greene  & 
Sons.  It  is  still  known  by  its  old  name,  is  used  as  a 
spinning  mill,  and  presents  substantially  the  same 
appearance  as  in  1824. 

Wilkinson,  Greene  &  Company  erected  a  stone  mill 
just  north  of  the  White  Mill  in  1813.  The  same  fire 
that  destroyed  the  original  White  Mill  also  burned  this 
structure.  It  was  long  known  as  the  Wilkinson  and 
Greene  Mill,  and  the  name  has  survived  many  changes 


54 


THE  COTTON  CENTENNIAL. 


in  owners,  so  that  locally  it  is  still  known  by  this  name 
among  old  residents.  The  property  came  into  the 
possession  of  N.  G.  B.  Dexter  after  1840,  and  he,  his 
sons  and  their  successors  have  since  then  operated  it  as  a 
spinning  mill.  Many  changes  and  additions  have  been 
made  to  the  original  factory.  A  fire  which  occurred  the 
night  of  December  31,  1890,  partially  destroyed  the 
wooden  portions,  but  the  old  stone  part  was  not  much 
damaged  except  by  water.  In  the  wooden  tower  at  the 
front,  facing  Broadway,  is  a  stone  set  in  under  the  door 
with  the  words  "  Built  in  1813."  This  factory  is  now 
generally  known  as  the  Dexter  Mill. 

In  1810,  Oziel  Wilkinson  built  the  stone  mill  that  now 
stands  on  the  bank  of  the  Blackstone,  in  the  rear  of 
North  Main  Street,  and  but  a  short  distance  south  of 
the  Old  Mill.  After  the  failure  of  the  Wilkinsons  in  1829, 
it  came  into  the  possession  of  Thomas  Le  Favour,  and 
since  then  has  been  known  locally  as  the  Le  Favour 
Mill.  It  is  now  occupied  in  part  by  the  Pawtucket  Gas 
and  Electric  Light  Company. 

A  portion  of  an  old  stone  mill,  built  in  1813,  is  still 
standing  on  River  Street,  the  other  part  having  been 
pulled  down  in  1887  to  make  room  for  an  addition  to 
D.  Goff  &  Sons'  mills.  At  the  southeast  abutment  of 
the  bridge  is  an  old  wooden  structure  known  as  the 
Bridge  Mill.  This  was  originally  known  as  the  Yellow 
Mill,  and  was  built  in  1805. 

No  bridge  spanned  the  Blackstone  for  more  than  fifty 
years  after  Joseph  Jenks  built  his  forge.  In  summer  the 
stream  was  easily  fordable,  and  in  winter  it  is  more  than 
likely  that  the  ice  formed  a  natural  bridge  which  at  first 
furnished  all  the  accommodation  required.  But  as  the 
infant  colonies  increased  in  population,  the  necessity  of 
roads  and  bridges  began  to  be  felt  by  those  who  were 
obliged  to  travel.  May  29,  1712,  a  committee  made  a 
report  to  the  Massachusetts  General  Court  recommending 
the  building  of  a  bridge  at  "Pawtucket  Falls,  near  the 
iron  works,"  on  the  ground  that  it  would  be  "of  service  " 
in  traveling  from  some  parts  of  Massachusetts,  "  into 
the  Narragansett  country,  Connecticut  and  New  York, 
at  all  times  of  the  year,  particularly  in  winter  season, 
when,  by  rising  of  water,  and  great  quantity  of  ice  com- 
ing down  the  river,  it  is  very  difficult  and  hazardous." 
As  a  result  of  this  action  the  first  bridge  was  built  in 
1713,  at  the  joint  expense  of  the  two  colonies.  The 
Rhode  Island  General  Assembly  voted  to  rebuild  it  in 
1729,  if  Massachusetts  would  pay  half  the  expense,  but 
as  that  colony  neglected  to  come  to  a  decision,  and  as 
very  likely  the  bridge  was  a  fragile  structure  and  had 
become  unsafe,  it  was  pulled  down  In  a  year  or  two, 
however,  a  new  bridge  was  built,  and  this  in  turn  was 
rebuilt  in  1741.  The  first  bridge  spanned  the  river  a 
little  south  of  the  present  structure,  but  the  second  and 
subsequent  bridges  occupied  the  existing  location.  The 
bridge  was  swept  away  by  the  great  freshet  of  1807,  bu' 
a  new  one  was  immediately  built.  In  1817,  and  again 
in  1832,  the  bridge  was  almost  entirely  rebuilt.  The  old 
bridge  was  torn  down  in  1843,  and  replaced  by  a  new 
one  at  the  expense  of  the  State.  The  present  substantial 
stone  bridge  was  opened  to  travel  November  4,  1858. 

A  bridge  was  commenced  in  1826  and  finished  the  fol- 


lowing year,  at  the  north  end  of  Mill  Street,  and  it  con- 
nected Central  Falls  with  the  northeastern  portion  of 
Pawtucket.  The  old  bridge  was  replaced  by  an  iron  one 
in  1871. 

A  wooden  bridge  was  built  over  the  Blackstone  at 
Central  Avenue,  in  1853,  connecting  Central  Falls  with 
that  section  of  Pawtucket  known  as  Pleasant  View. 
This  was  replaced  by  the  present  iron  bridge  in  1869. 
The  Exchange  Street  iron  bridge  was  built  during  the 
winter  of  1871-2.  In  1875-6  the  Division  Street  bridge, 
the  largest  and  most  costly  in  the  city,  was  built  across 
the  river  a  short  distance  below  the  falls,  and  at  about 
the  head  of  navigation.  It  consists  of  nine  beautiful 
stone  arches,  and  is  carried  high  above  the  river. 

The  exact  date  of  the  starting  of  the  first  Sunday 
School  in  Pawtucket  is  uncertain,  but  in  the  opinion  of 
careful  students  of  local  history,  it  was  as  early  as  I791 
or  1792.  David  Arnold  was  the  first  teacher  and  the 
school  was  kept  in  his  house,  which  stood  on  Main 
Street  on  the  site  now  occupied  by  Lee's  Block.  Four 
of  Mr.  Arnold's  children  worked  for  Mr.  Slater  in 
Ezekiel  Carpenter's  clothier  shop  where  the  first  machin- 
ery was  operated.  The  second  teacher  was  Amariah 
Marsh.  These  teachers,  and  those  employed  for  some 
years  following,  were  paid  by  Almy,  Brown  &  Slater, 
but  as  the  advantages  of  the  instruction  thus  afforded 
became  evident,  other  manufacturers  contributed  to  the 
support  of  existing  schools  or  were  instrumental  in  having 
new  ones  started.  In  the  early  years  great  difficulty  was 
experienced  in  finding  suitable  teachers,  and  during  the 
summer  months,  the  probability  is  that  the  schools  were 
discontinued.  Sunday  morning,  September  15,  I799i 
Mr.  Slater  overheard  some  of  the  boys  who  'worked  in 
his  mill,  debating  whether  or  not  they  would  go  and  rob 
an  orchard.  One  of  them  strongly  opposed  the  project 
because  he  did  not  think  it  right.  With  this  view,  Mr. 
Slater  agreed.  He  then  invited  the  boys  to  his  house, 
gave  them  all  the  apples  they  wanted  and  began  himself  to 
keep  a  Sunday  School.  Although  by  all  accounts  Mr. 
Slater  was  the  moving  spirit  in  first  establishing  Sunday 
Schools,  this  was  probably  his  first  essay  as  a  teacher. 
He  kept  the  school  in  his  own  house  until  the  middle  of 
December  following,  and  continued  it  there  during  the 
summers  of  the  next  three  years.  This  building,  some- 
what altered  in  form  and  appearance,  is  still  standing  at  its 
original  location  on  the  east  side  of  North  Main  Street, 
at  the  corner  of  a  lane  leading  down  to  the  Old  Mill. 
The  seven  boys  who  made  up  the  class  were,  Nathaniel 
G.  B.  Dexter,  Isaac  and  Samuel  Taber,  Reuben  and 
Whipple  Alexander,  Thomas  Bly  and  Clifford  Thomas. 
The  first  of  these  boys  became  in  after  years  a  successful 
manufacturer  and  one  of  the  leading  citizens  of  Paw- 
tucket. 

One  of  the  most  interesting  landmarks  in  Pawtucket 
is  the  "Slater  Mansion"  on  East  avenue,  which  was 
built  by  Mr.  Slater  after  his  second  marriage,  but  became 
the  exclusive  property  of  his  wife  before  it  was  com- 
pleted. Here,  after  her  husband's  death,  Mrs.  Esther 
Slater  continued  to  live  until  her  death,  December  23, 
1859,  at  the  age  °f  81  years.  The  house  is  a  substantial 
brick  structure  in  an  excellent  state  of  preservation. 


PAWTUCKET,  ITS  ORIGIN  AND  WORK. 


The  walls  of  the  two  parlors  that  occupy  the  front  of  the 
house,  are  covered  with  pictorial  paper  that  apparently 
still  adheres  as  closely  as  when  first  put  on.  That  in  the 
north  parlor  represents  eastern  and  Oriental  scenes,  and 
was  put  on  when  the  house  was  built.  In  the  other 
room  the  paper  was  put  on  later  and  represents  scenes 
from  Scott's  Lady  of  the  Lake.  The  property  is  held 
in  such  a  way  that  any  lease  of  the  building  contains  a 
clause  requiring  that  the  paper  in  these  rooms  be  pre- 
served and  cared  for. 

During  the  first  quarter  of  the  century  there  was  con- 
siderable litigation  over  the  water-privileges  at  Paw- 
tucket.  Probably  this  was  owing  to  the  fact  that  there 
were  a  great  many  owners,  each  of  whom  wanted  as  large 
a  share  of  the  water  as  possible.  Like  the  proprietors  on 
the  other  streams  in  the  state,  the  mill  owners  here  and 
elsewhere  on  the  river,  formed  corporations  and  con- 
structed reservoirs  in  the  upper  portion  of  the  Black- 
stone  valley,  by  this  means  making  the  flow  much  more 
regular,  and  also 
diminishing  the  dan- 
ger from  floods. 
After  the  water- 
works were  finished 
in  1878,  the  factory 
owners  were  award- 
ed considerable  sums 
for  the  damage  done 
to  their  privileges  by 
the  taking  of  the  wa- 
ters of  the  Abbott 
Run,  a  tributary  of 
the  Blackstone, 
which  unites  with 
that  river  just  above 
Pawtucket.  Without 
doubt,  the  aggregate 
power  of  the  river 
was  very  much  less- 
ened by  the  diversion 
of  this  stream,  but 
on  the  other  hand  an 

advantage  was  gained,  in  that  manufacturing  establish- 
ments back  from  the  river  were  enabled  to  secure  water 
at  much  less  expense.  The  upper  dam  has  a  possible 
force  of  probably  more  than  800  horse-power,  and  the 
lower  dam  of  nearly  twice  as  much,  making  the  total  at 
least  2,000  horse-power.  This  force  is  however  only 
partially  utilized  on  existing  mill  privileges,  a  very  large 
percentage  of  the  water  flowing  over  the  dams  without 
being  put  to  work  turning  water  wheels. 

An  excellent  system  of  water-works  was  put  in  opera- 
tion January  31,  1878,  and  since  that  time  has  satis- 
factorily supplied  not  only  Pawtucket,  but  also  East 
Providence,  Central  Falls,  Valley  Falls,  Lonsdale,  Ash- 
ton  and  Berkeley.  There  are  two  reservoirs,  one  located 
on  Reservoir  Heights,  two  and  a  half  miles  from  the 
business  centre,  and  300  feet  above  tide  water.  The 
other  is  a  new  reservoir  situated  on  Diamond  Hill,  Cum- 
berland, built  in  1887,  and  first  utilized  February,  1888. 

During  the  colonial  period  and  until    the  building  of 


PRESENT  APPEARANCE  OF  SLATER'S  FIRST  RESIDENCE, 

WHERE   HE   KEPT   THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL    IN    1799. 


railroads,  Pawtucket  was  on  the  line  of  travel  between 
Boston  and  Providence.  As  early  as  the  middle  of  the 
last  century  a  stage  coach  ran  regularly  between  Boston 
and  Providence.  In  1825,  one  was  put  on  to  plj  directly 
between  Pawtucket  and  Boston.  With  the  opening  of 
the  Providence  &  Worcester  railroad  in  1847,  a  new  era 
dawned,  and  a  greater  industrial  increase  has  since  then 
taken  place  than  ever  before. 

The  first  school  established  in  Pawtucket  was  in  the 
Red  School-house,  built  in  1793,  on  High  Street.  Fora 
time  the  children  from  both  sides  of  the  river  were  taught 
in  this  edifice,  and  here  Sunday  Schools,  after  their  incep- 
tion, were  kept.  For  many  years  the  only  church  in  either 
village  was  the  Catholic  Baptist,  afterward  renamed  the 
First  Baptist.  The  society  was  formed  in  1793,  and  a 
building  erected  the  same  year  on  the  site  of  the  present 
church.  Two  banks  were  organized  in  1814,  one  on  each 
side  of  the  river,  the  Pawtucket  Bank,  with  a  charter  from 
Massachusetts,  and  the  Manufacturers  Bank,  incorpoiated 

by  the  General 
Assembly  of  Rhode 
Island.  On  the  west 
side  the  Fire  District 
of  Pawtucket,  was 
incorporated  F  e  b  - 
ruary  17,  1801,  and 
organized  the  follow- 
ing April.  Two 
years  later  a  fire  en- 
gine built  by  David 
Wilkinson  was  pro- 
cured, and  a  fire  com- 
pany was  organized. 
The  first  newspaper 
established  in  Paw- 
tucket, or  at  least  the 
first  that  had  a  con- 
tinued and  prosp1  r- 
ous  existence,  was  the 
Chronicle,  started 
November  12,  1828; 
in  1839  it  was  united 

with  the  Gazette,  which  had  been  started  the  previous 
year,  and  under  the  united  names  has  since  continued 
in  existence.  Such  were  the  small  beginnings  of  the  chief 
agencies  in  the  social,  moral,  educational  and  industrial  life. 
Pawtucket  is  not  an  ancient  town  even  in  the  sense 
that  some  places  on  this  continent  can  claim  that  title. 
One  hundred  years  cover  the  essential  points  of  her  his- 
tory. But  the  story,  even  as  briefly  told  in  these  pages, 
shows  the  all-important  effects  of  past  events  on  the  pre- 
sent and  future,  and  demonstrates  that  the  whole  trend  of 
the  life  of  a  community  depends  very  largely  on  the  vigor 
and  direction  of  the  original  impetus.  An  endeavor  has 
been  made  to  present  the  most  salient  feature  of  Paw- 
tucket's  history,  and  to  illustrate  by  what  steps  the  two 
small  hamlets  have  become  the  important  city  of  the  pres- 
ent, with  all  the  conveniences  and  advantages  that  a 
modern  municipality  requires.  An  account  of  present 
conditions  and  of  recent  industrial  developments  will  be 
found  in  a  succeeding  chapter. 


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V. 


THE  CENTENARY  CELEBRATION. 

THE  IDKA  Sue, OUSTED— PRELIMINARY  STEPS  AND  PREPARATIONS— FULL  LIST  OF  COMMITTEES  —  PKELIMINAKY  SUNDAY-SCHOOL 
EXERCISES — FIRST  DAY:  SUNDAY-SCHOOL  DAY— OPENING  OF  THE  INDUSTRIAL  EXHIBITION— EVENING  BANQUET—  SECOND 
DAY:  MILITARY  DAY— THIRD  DAY:  TRADES  PROCESSION— SECRET  AND  Civic  SOCIETY  PKOCESSION. 


PAWTUCKET   FALLS  AND  BRIDGE  IN 

Photographtd  tj>  Stoddard. 

The  idea  of  a  grand  celebration  in  Pawtucket,  oh  the 
one  hundredth  anniversary  of  Samuel  Slater's  successful 
introduction  of  cotton  spinning  by  machinery,  originated, 
so  it  is  generally  conceded,  with  Captain  Henry  F.  Jenks, 
who  is  a  lineal  descendant  of  one  of  the  first  settlers  of 
Pawtucket.  At  a  meeting  of  the  Business  Men's  Asso- 
ciation as  early  as  February  i,  1886,  Captain  Jenks  called 
attention  to  the  fact  that  this  centenary  was  approach- 
ing, and  brought  forward  a  plan  which  he  had  formu- 
lated for  its  proper  observance.  This  plan  consisted 
mainly  of  the  erection  of  a  monument  to  Samuel  Slater,' 
and  the  incorporation,  in  the  services  of  dedication,  of 
a  grand  military  and  civic  display.  The  suggestion  was 
received  with  favor,  but  it  was  four  years  before  the  time 
of  the  centennial,  and  the  matter  dropped.  The  idea 


found  lodgment  in  the  minds  of 
many  in  the  community  who 
perceived  the  importance  of  the 
event,  and  the  benefits  which 
would  come  to  Pawtucket  by  its 
realization.  Later  on,  at  a  meet- 
ing of  this  same  Business  As- 
sociation, Senator  Aldrich,  of 
Rhode  Island,  presented  the  sub- 
ject of  the  observance  in  a  strong 
light ;  and  again,  in  February, 
1889,  the  occasion  of  a  banquet 
given  to  Mayor  Goodwin  and 
the  city  council,  by  H.  Herbert 
Sheldon,  Mr.  Jenks  advocated 
the  project,  which,  as  before, 
was  received  with  favor.  The 
subject  began  to  be  more  freely 
talked  about,  the  press  in  the 
vicinity  advocated  the  celebra- 
tion in  its  columns,  and  at  the 
October  meeting  of  the  Paw- 
tucket common  council,  Coun- 
cilman Henry  E.  Tiepke  offered 
a  resolution  calling  for  the  ap- 
pointment of  a  joint  special  com- 
mittee from  the  aldermen  and 
council,  to  consider  the  fea- 
sibility of  a  celebration  of  the 
centenary  in  a  fitting  manner. 
The  resolution  was  adopted,  the 
council  called  a  special  meeting, 
and  the  board  of  aldermen  con- 
curred. The  joint  committee  was  made  up  as  follows : 
Aldermen  Joseph  E.  Jenckes  and  Edward  Smith  ; 
Councilmen  Henry  E.  Tiepke,  Bernard  T.  Lennon, 
Philo  E.  Thayer,  J.  Ellis  White,  and  Frank  O'Reilly. 
This  was  the  first  official  action,  and  from  it  grew  the 
centenary  celebration  which  was  observed  in  Pawtucket 
during  the  week  beginning  September  28,  1890. 

It  was  near  the  close  of  the  municipal  year,  and  on  the 
inauguration,  in  1890,  of  Mayor  Hugh  J.  Carroll,  mat- 
ters assumed  definite  shape.  February  3d  the  Business 
Men's  Association  appointed  this  committee  to  cooperate 
with  that  from  the  city  government :  President  Lucius 
B.  Darling,  Ex-President  Daniel  G.  Littlefield,  Ex-Mayor 
Frederick  Clark  Sayles,  Hezekiah  Conant,  Lyman  B. 
Gofr",  John  J.  Dempsey,  Ex-Mayor  Almon  Kent  Good- 


1890. 


58 


THE   COTTON   CENTENNIAL 


win,  William  H.  Haskell,  Stephen  A.  Jenks,  George  P. 
Grant,  Henry  F.  Jenks.  March  I3th  Alderman  Jenckes 
presented  his  resignation  as  a  member  of  the  committee 
from  the  city,  and  Alderman  Nathan  A.  Chatterton  was 
appointed  ;  and  March  igth  Councilman  Henry  E.  Tiepke 
was  chosen  chairman  of  this  joint  committee  ;  Alderman 
Chatterton,  treasurer  ;  Councilman  Lennon,  auditor  ;  and 
Councilman  J.  Ellis  White,  secretary.  Conference  was 
held  frequently  with  the  committee  of  the  Business  Men's 
Association  —  the  latter  committee  bringing  up  at  once 
the  subject  of  Mr.  Jenks'  original  proposal  to  erect  a 
monument  to  the  memory  of  Slater,  proposing  to  take 
charge  of  that  matter,  and  leave  the  city  committee  free 
to  arrange  for  whatever  industrial  exhibition  might  be 
considered  wise.  A  sub-committee  to  arrange  for  the 
proposed  monument 
was  appointed  by  the 
association,  consisting 
of  Captain  Henry  F. 
Jenks,  Edwin  Dar- 
ling, Henry  B.  Met- 
calf,  Olney  Arnold, 
and  William  R.  Say- 
les  Mr.  Jenks'  idea 
was  that  the  monu- 
ment should  be  erected 
from  stones  furnished 
by  the  different  man- 
ufacturers, and  esti- 
mates were  consid- 
ered for  its  erection, 
but  the  plan  appeared 
impracticable,  and  on 
June  1 9th  the  commit- 
tee recommended  that 
no  further  action  be 
taken. 

The  city  committee 
found  an  increasing 
interest  on  the  part  of 
the  citizens  and  en- 
couragement to  lay 
broader  plans  for  the 
celebration.  It  was 
early  decided,  after 
conference  with  the 

Veteran  Firemen's  Association,  to  have  a  firemen's  mus- 
ter as  a  feature  of  one  day,  and  a  regatta  on  Pawtucket 
River  another  ;  it  was  also  decided  to  have  a  military 
parade,  a  parade  of  secret  and  civic  societies  and  a 
trades  procession.  An  industrial  exhibition  was  also 
proposed,  a  committee  consisting  of  Councilmen  Tiepke, 
Thayer,  O'Reilly,  and  White  was  appointed  to  confer 
with  the  manufacturers,  and  the  encouragement  was  so 
pronounced  that  the  success  of  this  feature  was  assured. 
It  became  necessary  at  this  time  to  attend  to  the  financial 
part  of  the  celebration,  and  May  ist  the  General  Assem- 
bly of  Rhode  Island  passed  in  both  houses  a  bill  appro- 
priating $io,oco  to  aid  Pawtucket  in  its  centenary,  and 
a  few  days  later  the  city  council  of  Pawtucket  appro- 
priated a  similar  amount.  It  was  also  decided  to  devote 


HON.  HUGH  J.  CARROLL, 


MAYOR    OF    PAWTUCKET    DURING    THE     CENTENNIAL    YEAR 


a  day  to  horse  and  bicycle  races  at  the  Driving  Park, 
and  to  hold  an  evening  celebration,  after  the  order  of 
the  "Mardi  Gras,"  to  be  called  "King  Kotton  Karnival." 
A  memorial  was  received  in  May  from  the  superin- 
tendents of  the  different  Sunday-schools,  asking  to  have 
one  day  devoted  to  a  Sunday-school  procession  in  honor 
of  the  great  work  which  Samuel  Slater  did  as  pioneer  of 
the  Sunday-school.  It  was  decided  to  have  such  a  pro- 
cession, and  to  have  public  services  in  Music  Hall  the 
Sunday  prior  to  the  event.  The  appointment  of  Gen- 
eral Olney  Arnold  as  chief  marshal,  of  Ansel  D.  Nick- 
erson  as  clerk  of  the  committee,  and  the  organization 
of  a  joint  committee  to  make  arrangements  for  the  indus- 
trial exhibition  speedily  followed.  The  organization  of  this 
latter  committee  was  :  George  Mabbett,  chairman  ;  Fred- 
erick W.  Easton,  sec- 
retary ;  and  Albert  R. 
Sherman,  superinten- 
dent of  the  exhibition. 
To  carry  out  all  the 
details  of  this  celebra- 
tion, which  had  been 
announced  to  open  on 
Sunday  afternoon, 
September  aSth,  with 
a  public  meeting  in 
Music  Hall,  and  con- 
tinue through  the 
week,  the  aid  of  the 
following  gentlemen, 
on  the  various  com- 
mittees, was  invoked  : 

CITY  COUNCIL  COMMIT- 
TEE.—  Councilman 
Henry  E.  Tiepke, 
chairman  ;  Council- 
man J.  Ellis  White, 
secretary;  Alderman 
Nathan  A.  Chatter- 
ton,  treasurer;  Coun- 
cilman Bernard  T. 
Lennon,  auditor  ; 
Alderman  Edward 
Smith,  Councilmen 
Philo  E.  Thayer, 
Frank  O'Reilly;  and 
A.  D.  N  icke  rson , 
Clerk. 

ON  INDUSTRIAL  EXHIBIT. — George  Mabbett,  chairman  ;  Frederick 
W.  Easton,  secretary;  Albert  R.  Sherman,  superintendent; 
Councilmen  Thayer,  Tiepke,  O'Reilly,  and  White,  and 
Messrs.  James  Brown,  Samuel  M.  Conant,  Alfred  H.  Little- 
field,  Albert  Horton,  Lewis  Fairbrother,  A.  T.  Atherton, 
George  E.  Sherman,  Myron  Fish,  William  L.  Coop,  Arthur 
W.  Stanley,  George  L.  Miller,  C.  Fred.  Crawford,  James 
Linton,  Richard  A.  Butler,  Thomas  F.  Clark,  Walter  II. 
Stearns. 

ON  SUNDAY-SCHOOLS. —  Councilmen  Thayer  and  White,  Alder- 
man Chatterton  and  the  superintendents  of  the  various  Sun- 
day-schools represented. 

ON  MILITARY. —  Alex.  Strauss,  chairman;  W.  Howard  Walker, 
secretary;  Alderman  Chatterton,  Councilmen  Tiepke  and 
White,  and  Charles  Rittman,  Giles  W.  Easterbrooks,  Benja- 
min F.  Davis,  Joseph  E.  Mason,  Edward  F.  Jones,  Joseph  E. 
Burns,  John  F'.  Clark,  Theodore  F.  Dexter,  Joseph  F.  Means. 


THE  CENTENARY   CELEBRATION. 


ON  TRADES  PROCESSION. —  Everett  P.  Carpenter,  chairman; 
Frank  M.  Bates,  secretary;  Councilmen  Tiepke,  Thayer  and 
O'Reilly,  and  Waterman  W.  Dexter,  David  Harley,  Fred. 
W.  Dexter,  J.  D.  Billington,  C.  Makin,  J.  W.  Wilmarth,  B. 
McCabe,  E.  K.  Gridley,  R.  H.  Kirk,  J.  F.  Abbott,  H.  A. 
Brown.  C.  E.  Longley,  J.  M.  Payne,  D.  A.  Jillson,  Timothy 
Butler,  J.  Shartenberg. 

ON  Civic  AND  SECRET  SOCIETY  PARADE.— William  M.  Peck- 
ham,  chairman;  Charles  A.  Spooner,  secretary;  Council- 
men  White  and  Thayer,  Alderman  Chatterton,  and  J.  Edgar 
Sisson,  Aaron  Ingham,  Fred.  R.  Rogers,  Franz  Donath, 
John  S  Brazeau,  Owen  F.  Keough,  Joseph  B.  Hunt,  Henry 
Hill,  Jr. ,  John  M.  Thurber,  Patrick  Murphy,  Silas  B.  Havens, 
George  C.  Gates,  Aaron  Lund,  James  F.  Hanley,  John  L. 
Perrin,  James  Meiklejohn,  James  H.  McGee,  Herman  V. 


G.  Perry,  Arthur  J.  E.  Readio,  E.  O.  Woodbury,  Frank  E. 
Crawford.  David  McKelvey,  John  S.  Cottrell,  Alonzo  E. 
Flint,  David  Harley,  Harvey  Kingsley,  Patrick  McLoughlin, 
Alfred  W.  Quigg,  Arthur  B.  Tyler,  James  L.  Wheaton,  Jr. 

HONORARY  COMMITTEE. —  His  Excellency  Governor  John  W. 
Davis,  His  Honor  Mayor  Hugh  J.  Carroll,  President  of  the 
Common  Council  Frank  O'Reilly,  Honorable  William  F. 
Sayles,  Albert  Horton,  Fred.  W.  Easton,  W.  Wanton  Dun- 
nell,  Evarts  C.  Tyler,  William  P.  Moroney,  Isaac  Shove, 
Waterman  W.  Dexter,  Hiram  Kendall,  President  Narragan- 
sett  Boat  Club. 

ON  HORSE  AND  BICYCLE  RACES. —  Councilmen  O'Reilly,  Len- 
non  and  Thayer,  and  Henry  L.  Spencer,  Frank  H.  Gurry, 
Hector  Schiller,  Richard  T.  Keene,  Hugh  Linton,  Bradford 


VIEW  OF    MEMORIAL   ARCH   AND  BROAD  STREET  FROM  TRINITY   SQUARE. 

Photographed  by  Bfbby. 


Babcock,  John  J.  Kenyon,  Henry  G.  Duby,  David  Shaw- 
cross,  Owen  McDonald,  William  H.  Gurney,  Andre  Blanch- 
ard,  Frank  Marchetti,  Michael  Nolan. 

ON  FIREMEN'S  MUSTER. — Joshua  Lothrop,  chairman;  Coun- 
cilman Thayer,  secretary;  N.  Curtis  Fletcher,  assistant  secre- 
tary; Councilman  O'Reilly,  John  Brierly,  Eugene  B.  Crocker. 
Albert  C.  White,  Oren  S.  Horton. 

ON  REGATTA. — A.  R.  Sweet,  President  Pawtucket  Boat  Club, 
chairman;  S.  Willard  Thayer,  secretary;  Alderman  Smith, 
Councilman  Lennon,  Isaac  Gill,  Captain  Pawtucket  Boat 
Club;  C.  Fred.  Crawford,  Lyman  H.  Burr,  Albert  W.  Bens- 
ley,  Chas.  W.  Crowell,  Wm.  O.  Graham,  Frank  E.  Holmes, 
Charles  II.  Lawton,  James  A.  Nealey,  John  B.  Reilly,  Alan- 
son  Thayer,  Charles  E.  Carpenter,  Fred.  W.  Dexter,  Harry 
M.  Horton,  George  J.  Kirby,  William  L.  Mahoney,  Frederic 


Gannett,  James  Linton,  J.  Ellis  Tingley,  Ferdinand  A.  Fol- 
lett,  W.  Wanton  Dunnell. 

ON  KING  COTTON  CARNIVAL. —  Eugene  B.  Crocker,  chairman: 
Fred.  W.  Dexter,  Treasurer ;  Horace  W.  Davenport,  secre- 
tary; Councilmen  Tiepke  and  Lennon,  and  W.  Howard 
Walker,  J.  Milton  Payne.  James  H.  Winters,  Bert.  J.  Horton. 
Charles  E.  Harrison,  Charles  Rittman,  Benj.  F.  Davis,  H  H. 
Sager,  A.  Cohen,  J.  S.  Brazeau,  E.  K.  Gridley,  J.  W.  Little, 
J.  W.  Larkin,  D.  J.  White.  John  Coyle,  E.  W.  Bucklin,  W.  J 
Mahoney,  Franz  Donath,  Alexander  Strauss,  Aaron  Ingham. 
G.  D.  Wilson,  Dennis  A.  McElroy,  John  Cullen,  Frank  Mar- 
chetti, Henry.  L.  Spencer,  R.  A.  Barber,  Hector  Schiller. 
John  F.  Abbott,  Francis  Pratt,  George  H.  Sherman,  Claude 
J.  Farnsworth,  Joseph  F.  Means,  Theodore  F.  Dexter,  Joseph 
E.  Mason,  John  F.  Clark,  Thomas  D  Sweetland,  Antoine 


tiO 


THE  COTTON   CENTENNIAL 


Spencer,  C.  H.  Baker,  Stephen  W.  Jenks,  Samuel  B.  Hynd- 
man,  George  C.  Newell,  Thomas  Martin,  Augustus  Schroe- 
der. 

SUB-COMMITTEE  ON  BALL.— E.    K.    Gridley,   chairman:    Fred. 
W.   Dexter,   secretary  and    treasurer;    Benjamin    F.    Davis, 


ANSEL   D.   NICKERSON, 

CLERK    OF    THE     CENTENNIAL    COMMITTEE. 

auditor;  Eugene  B.  Crocker,  John  Cullen,  Charles Rittman, 
Elisha  W.  Bucklin,  James  W.  Larkin. 

ON  RECEPTION. —  Honorable  Hugh  J.  Carroll,  chairman;  Ber- 
nard McCabe,  secretary;  Councilmen  Tiepke  and  White, 
Alderman  Smith,  and  the  members  of -the  Board  of  Alder- 
men and  Common  Council,  and  Governor  John  W.  Davis, 
ex-Mayor  Almon  K.  Goodwin,  General  Olney  Arnold,  John 
T.  Maguire,  William  P.  Moroney,  Colonel  Patrick  E.  Hayes, 
Daniel  G.  Littlefield.  George  E.  Newell,  George  H.  Fuller, 
Charles  E.  Longley,  Albert  Horton,  Peter  B.  McManus, 
William  H.  Haskell,  George  H.  Webb,  General  William  R. 
Walker,  Honorable  Henry  B.  Metcalf,  Henry  C  McDuff, 
Francis  Conlon.  James  Murphy,  Lyman  M.  Darling,  Fred- 
erick W.  Easton,  Thomas  P.  Barnefield,  Frederick  A.  Bar- 
ker. William  W.  Dunnell,  Earl  S.  Binford,  Robert  D.  Mason, 
George  W.  Newell,  Edward  L.  Freeman,  Rev.  Joseph  J. 
Woolley,  Alden  W.  Sibley,  Jude  Taylor,  George  W.  Payne, 
Hezekiah  Conant,  Isaac  Shove,  Edwin  A.  Perrin,  James  A. 
Nealey. 

ON  THE  PRESS. —  Edward  P.  Tobie,  chairman;  Philip  C.  Shel- 
don, secretary;  Councilmen  Tiepke,  White  and  Lennon.and 
Frank  E.  Greenslitt,  John  J.  Rosenfeld,  Martin  Murray, 
Charles  A.  Lee,  Joseph  W.  Freeman,  John  S.  Brazeau. 

ON  MANUFACTURES.— Councilmen  Thayer,  Tiepke,  O'Reilly, 
and  White. 

ON  Music. — Councilman  White,  and  Aldermen  Chatterton  and 
Smith. 

ON  PRINTING.  — Councilmen  O'Reilly  and  Thayer,  and  Alder- 
man Smith. 

ON  BADGES. —  Councilman  Lennon,  Alderman  Smith  and  Coun- 
cilman Thayer. 

ON  RAILROADS. —  Councilmen  Tiepke  and  White,  and  Alder- 
man Chatterton. 

ON  ROOMS  AND  CLERK. —  Councilmen  Lennon,  Thayer  and 
White. 

ON  DECORATIONS. —  Alderman  Smith,  Councilman  O'Reilly 
and  Alderman  Chatterton. 

ON  PROGRAMME. —  Councilman  White,  Alderman  Chatterton 
and  Councilman  O'Reilly. 


INTRODUCTORY  SUNDAY  SERVICES. 

The  preliminary  exercises  of  the  cotton  centenary  cele- 
bration began  Sunday  afternoon,  September  28th,  in 
Music  Hall,  Pawtucket,  at  4  p.  M.  On  the  platform 
were  seated  Governor  John  W.  Davis,  members  of  the 
city  council  centenary  committee,  Ex-Governor  Little- 
field,  clergymen  of  Pawtucket  and  the  neighboring  vil- 
lages, and  distinguished  state  and  national  officials.  The 
services  opened  by  singing  the  doxology,  in  which  the 
large  audience  joined,  after  which  Honorable  Henry  B. 
Metcalf,  chairman  of  the  meeting,  delivered  an  introduc- 
tory address,  contrasting  the  industry  of  one  hundred  years 
ago  with  that  of  the  present  day,  which  is  no  less  marked 
than  that  of  the  Sunday-school  first  taught  by  Slater 
as  compared  with  the  schools  of  to-day.  After  prayer 
by  Rev.  George  Bullen,  D.  D.,  and  singing  "  O  God,  our 
Help  in  Ages  Past,"  an  address  was  given  by  Rev.  Porter 
M.  Vinton.  It  related  chiefly  to  the  work  of  Slater  in  the 
Sunday-school  in  the  locality  of  Pawtucket.  "  Thank 
and  Praise  Jehovah's  Name  "  was  then  sung.  A  his- 
torical paper  tracing  the  Sunday-schools  of  the  vicin- 
ity from  their  origin  to  the  present  time  was  read  by 
Ansel  D.Nickerson,  Esq.  Another  hymn,  "Soon  Mav 
the  Great,  Glad  Song  Arise,"  was  sung.  Rev.  Alex- 
ander McGregor  made  a  brief  address,  and  the  exercises 


CAPT.  HENRY  F.  JENKS, 

ORIGINATOR    OF     THE     IDEA     OF    THE     COTTON    CENTENNIAL. 

closed  with  singing  "Kingdoms  and  Thrones  to  God 
Belong"  and  the  benediction  by  Rev.  Emery  H.  Porter. 
There  was  also  a  service  in  St.  Joseph's  Church,  Sun- 
day afternoon,  at  which  an  address  was  delivered  by  Rev. 
Fr.  H.  F.  Kinnernev  which  was  notable  for  its  liberal 


THE  CENTENARY  CELEBRATION. 


61 


reference  to  the  work  of  Slater  and  that  of  Roger  Wil- 
liams in  Rhode  Island.  He  paid  a  glowing  tribute  to 
Slater,  saying  that  he  built  Providence  and  Pawtucket, 
the  states  of  Rhode  Island  and  Massachusetts,  and  made 
possible  through  the  United  States  the  erection  of  cotton 
mills  twenty-five  years  before  they  would  otherwise  have 
existed.  The  exercises  at  this  church  closed  with  the 
Benediction  of  the  Sacrament. 


SUNDAY-SCHOOL    DAY. 

The  formal  exercises  of  the  celebration  opened  Mon- 
day morning  with  a  grand  procession  of  the  Sunday- 
school  children  of  Pawtucket,  reinforced  by  schools 


H.  S.  Johnson,  Pawtucket;  A.  D.  Nickerson,  Pawtucket; 
John  Colwell,  Lonsdale ;  Henry  McLean,  Central  Falls; 
A.  A.  Thompson,  Pawtucket. 

FIRST  DIVISION. 

MARSHAL,    ANSEL  D.  NICKERSON. 

Aids,  Philip  C.  Sheldon,  George  W.  Cole,  D.  Webster  Bullock. 

First  Baptist  Sunday-school.  —  Rev.  George  Bullen,  pastor; 
Ansel  D.  Nickerson,  superintendent ;  Philip  C.  Sheldon, 
assistant;  260  pupils  and  teachers. 

Woodlaivn  Baptist  Mission.  —  Hiram  S.  Johnson,  superin- 
tendent; George  E.  Nicholas,  assistant. 

Valley  Falls  Baptist  Sunday-school. — Rev.  B.  H.  Lane,  pastor; 
David  Howell,  assistant  superintendent;  Miss  Lizzie  Griffin, 
primary  school ;  60  pupils. 

Lonsdale  Baptist  Sunday-school. — Rev.  N.  B.  Wilson,  pastor; 
John  Colwell,  superintendent;  ico  pupils. 

First  Presbyterian  Sunday-school,  Lonsdale. — Rev.  John  Mont- 
gomery, pastor  and  superintendent;  25  pupils. 


THE  RAILROAD  STATION,  PAWTUCKET. 


from  Lonsdale,  Central  Falls  and  Valley  Falls.  It  is 
estirhated  that  there  were  from  four  to  six  thousand 
pupils  in  line.  The  procession  moved  shortly  after  9 
A.  M.,  under  the  lead  of  Col.  Alonzo  E.  Pierce,  marshal, 
in  the  following  order  : 

Police  skirmishers,  Officers  Sword  and  McDuff. 
Police    Platoon,    Officers    Reynolds,    Wilbur,   Ramo,   Arthur, 

Smith  and'Hand,  in  command  of  Officer  Tompkins. 
Carter's  Band  of  Boston,  Thomas  Henry,  leader;  thirty  pieces. 

CHIEF  MARSHAL,  COL.  ALONZO  E.  PIERCE, 
MARSHAL'S  STAFF:     Alderman  N,  A.  Chatterton,  Councilmen 
John   II.   Moore,   Henry  E.   Tiepke,  Peter  Lennon,  B.  F. 
Lennon,  Philo  E.  Thayer  and  F.  F.  Halliday. 
Superintendent  of  Schools  Henry  M.  Maxson ;  Division  Com- 
mander G.  A.  R. ,  Benjamin  F.  Davis. 

STAFF  OF  SUPERINTENDENTS  :  Henry  B.  Metcalf.  Pawtucket ; 
James  M.  Davis,  Central  Falls  ;  W.  O.  Brown,  Central  Falls  ; 
E.  L.  Freeman,  Central  Falls;  A.  J.  Nickerson,  Pawtucket; 


Embury  Methodist  Sunday-school.  Central  Falls.— Rev.  Joshua 
A.  L.  Rich,  pastor;  Henry  McLean,  superintendent;  Edgar 
Spears,  assistant;  William  H.  Broadbent,  marshal;  175 
pupils. 

Thomson  Methodist  Sunday-school,  Pawtucket.— Rev.  J.  H.  New- 
land,  pastor;  A.  A.  Thompson,  superintendent;  ico  pupils. 

First  Methodist  Sunday-school,  Pauitucket.—Rzv.  P.  M.  Vinton, 
pastor;  Alonzo  J.  Nickerson,  superintendent;  C.  H. 
Darling,  assistant;  175  pupils. 

High    Street    Universalist    Church,    Paivtucket.-R.tv.    F.    W. 

Hamilton,    pastor;     Henry    B.     Metcalf,     superintendent; 

Charles  R.  Carpenter,  marshal;  200  pupils. 
St.  George's  Episcopal  Sunday-school,  Central  Falls. — Rev.  W. 

W.  Sever,  pastor;    James  M.  Davis,    superintendent;     140 

pupils. 
Brand  Street  Baptist  Sunday-school,  Central  Falls.— Rev.George 

P.  Perry,  pastor;   Wm.  O.  Brown,  superintendent;  Charles 

O.  Hood,  assistant;  125  pupils. 
Central  Falls  Congregational    Sunday-school.— Rev.  James  H. 

Lyon,  pastor;  E.  L.  Freeman,  superintendent;  225  pupils. 


THE  COTTON  CENTENNIAL. 


HON.  HENRY  B.  METCALF, 

ORATOR   AT    THE    INTRODUCTORY    SUNDAY-SCHOOL    SERVICES,    MUSIC   HALL. 

SECOND  DIVISION. 

Hedly's    National    Band,    of   Providence,     thirty-five    pieces; 

T.  W.  Hedly,   leader. 
MARSHAL,  EDWARD  W.  BLODGETT. 

Park  Place  Congregational  Sunday-school. —  Rev.  Joseph  J. 
Woolley,  pastor;  Thomas  P.  Barnefield,  superintendent; 
Myron  T.  Kinyon,  marshal;  aids,  Joseph  Means,  Frank 
Bishop,  John  W.  Little  and  Rev.  J.  J.  Woolley.  Ladies  in 
charge  of  children  :  Miss  Mary  Brown,  Mrs.  J.  W.  France, 
Miss  Boyer,  Miss  Annie  Nickle,  Miss  Nellie  Crandall,  Mrs. 
M.  R.  Allen,  Miss  Ella  Payne,  Miss  Fannie  Gormley  and 
Miss  Georgiena  Murray.  650  pupils  and  teachers. 

Roland  C.  Thatcher,  wheeling  a  baby  carriage,  trimmed  with 
bunting  and  flags,  containing  his  little  daughter  Bessie. 

St  Paul's  Fpiscopal  Sunday-school,  consolidated  with  the  Mis- 
sion of  the  Advent  school. —  Rev.  E.  H.  Porter,  rector; 
George  F.  Merriss,  marshal.  250  pupils. 

THIRD  DIVISION. 

MARSHAL,  JEREMIAH  F.  BROWNING. 
Aid,  L.  C.  Newell. 

Pawtucket  City  Band,  W.  E.  Christian,  leader,  twenty-five  pieces. 

Paivtucket  Congregational  Sunday-school.  —  Rev.  Alexander 
McGregor,  pastor;  J.  F.  Browning,  superintendent;  H. 
W.  Harrub,  assistant ;  George  C.  Newell,  secretary ;  William 
McGregor,  treasurer.  200  pupils.  Scholars  arranged  by 
classes  in  charge  of  the  following  teachers  :  L.  C.  Newell, 
Miss  Sarah  Blodgett,  Mrs.  E.  R.  Clark,  Mrs.  C.  H.  Bowen, 
Jeremiah  F.  Browning,  William  E.  Tolman,  Miss  Lydia 
Paine,  Miss  Ellen  Bliss,  Miss  J.  H.  Morrison. 

Trinity  Sunday-school. — Rev.  William  P.  Tucker,  rector  and 
superintendent;  Edward  C.  Stiness,  secretary  and  treasurer. 
Teachers — Miss  Chase,  Mrs.  Hill,  Mrs.  Aumann,  Mr.  Mor- 
rison, Mrs.  C.  E.  Richardson,  Miss  Susan  Clarner,  Miss 
Maude  Makin,  Miss  Carrie  Graham  ;  95  pupils. 

Free  Baptist  Sunday-school.— Rev.  Charles  S.  Frost,  pastor; 
Edwin  N.  Chace,  superintendent;  M.  H.  Leavens,  assistant; 
Arthur  Babbitt,  secretary;  Edgar  Nickerson,  treasurer. 
Teachers — George  Shaw,  M.  H.  Leavens,  Emily  Wheeler, 
Minnie  Wheeler,  Mrs.  Joshua  Fuller,  Mrs.  James  Monk- 
house,  Minnie  Pierce,  Maude  Pierce;  125  pupils. 

Union  Mission  Sunday-school. — A.  B.  Brown,  superintendent; 
William  Franklin,  assistant;  Theodore  Pierce,  secretary; 
George  Miller,  treasurer;  27  pupils. 

Church  of  the  Good  Shepherd  Sunday-school.  —  Rev.  Benj. 
Eastwood,  pastor;  Silas  Woodcock,  superintendent. 
Teachers  —  Miss  Lizzie  Ullrich,  Maggie  Ludgate,  Bessie 
Harrington,  Jennie  Brown,  Mr.  Healey,  Annie  Ray,  Sarah 
Hunt,  Emily  Hunt,  William  Harrington,  Miss  Eastwood, 
Mrs.  Rodgers  ;  160  pupils. 


Pleasant  Vieiv  Baptist  Sunday-school.  -  Rev.  Edwin  Bromley, 
pastor;  Moses  Pollard,  superintendent;  W.  Bromley, 
assistant;  J.  Lewis  Wightman,  marshal.  Teachers — Mrs. 
John  Barry,  Mrs.  Watjen,  Maria  Andrews,  Marian  Hoi- 
brook,  J.  Lewis  Wightman,  Mrs.  Rice,  Mrs.  Alice  Powers, 
Miss  Annie  Wilbur,  Miss  Mamie  BufFum,  Miss  Addie 
Duxbury;  100  pupils. 

FOURTH  DIVISION. 
MARSHAL,  W.  O.  BROWN. 

Open  barouche  containing  Mayor  Carroll,  Joseph  Carter, 
William  P.  Moroney,  and  James  Warburton  of  Haver- 
straw,  N.  Y. 

Open  barouche  containing  Rt.  Rev.  Thomas  M.  Clark, 
Episcopal  Bishop,  R.  I. ;  Rev.  E.  B.  Andrews,  President 
of  Brown  University. 

I  Open  barouche  containing  Thomas  P.  Barnefield,  Mr.  Jared 
Sherman  of  Fairhaven,  Rev.  A.  E.  Dunning,  D.D., 
Boston. 

Barges  containing  the  aged  and  young  of  the  following 
Sunday-schools:  First  Baptist,  Advent  Mission,  Paw- 
tucket  Congregational,  First  Methodist,  Park  Place, 
Thompson  Methodist,  Church  of  Good  Shepherd,  Wood- 
lawn  Mission,  Union  Mission,  all  of  Paw  tucket ;  First 
Congregational,  Embury  Methodist  and  St.  George,  all 
of  Central  Falls. 

The  procession  was  a  novel  sight.  The  children 
marched  along  in  fours  with  a  white  satin  badge  at- 
tached to  the  left  breast,  and  each  school  carried  a 
banner,  on  all  of  which  was  inscribed  the  date  of  organ- 
ization, as  well  as  the  name  of  the  school.  Among 
the  distinguished  guests  were  James  Warburton,  of 
Haverstraw,  N.  Y  ,  a  resident  of  Pawtucket  forty-five 
years  ago,  arid  a  Sunday-school  boy,  and  Jared  Sherman, 
of  Fairhaven,  Mass.,  who  is  over  ninety  years  of  age,  and 
attended  Slater's  Sunday-school.  The  procession  moved 
towards  Dunnell  Park,  where  a  large  crowd  had  gath- 
ered and  where  formal  exercises  were  held.  Seats  had 
been  provided  for  invited  guests  and  the  smaller  child- 
ren, but  the  larger  number  remained  standing.  After 
music  by  the  band  the  introductory  address  was  made  by 
the  Hon.  Thomas  P.  Barnefield,  all  the  children  sang 
America,  Bishop  Thomas  M.  Clark,  of  Rhode  Island, 
offered  prayer,  to  which  the  children  responded  by  sing- 
ing the  Lord's  Prayer  to  the  music  of  "  Home,  Sweet 
Home,"  Mayor  Carroll  delivered  an  address  of  welcome, 
there  was  more  music,  and  brief  remarks  by  President 


ALONZO  E.  PIERCE, 

CHIEF   MARSHAL    SUNDAY-SCHOOL    PROCESSION. 


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64 


THE  COTTON  CENTENNIAL 


E.  Benjamin  Andrews,  of  Brown  University,  and  Rev. 
Albert  E.  Dunning,  D.  D.,  of  Boston.  After  Mayor 
Carroll's  address  a  very  interesting  incident  took  place. 
It  was  announced  that  in  Slater's  native  town  in  Eng- 
land a  meeting  was  being  held  similar  to  that  which 
was  being  participated  in,  at  Dunnell  Park.  The  chil- 
dren were  wearing  the  same  badges,  and  the  following 
cablegram  had  just  been  received  : 

Mr.  President,  Teachers,  Scholars  and  Friends : 

Claremount,  Tottington,   Lancaster,  send  cordial  greetings  to 
friends  and  American  Sunday-schools. 

We  hail  your  bright  Centennial  day; 
For  richer  blessings  still  we  pray. 

SAMUEL   KNOWLES. 

Ill  response  to  a  tremendous  "  aye  "  this  response  was 
cabled  : 
Samuel  Knowles,    Tottington,  England: 

The   assembled   Sunday-schools  of  Pawtucket  send  fraternal 
greetings  to  the  Sunday-schools  of  England. 

Read  III  John,  second  verse. 

May  our  common  work  have  continuous  and  increasing  pros- 
perity on  bolh  sides  of  the  ocean. 

THOMAS  P.  BARNEFIELD,   Chairman. 


OPENING  OF  THE  INDUSTRIAL  EXHIBITION. 

Monday  afternoon,  at  2  o'clock,  the  industrial  exhibi- 
tion was  opened  in  Centenary  Hall.  This  was  an  event 
of  much  importance,  and  the  attendance  was  large. 
Governor  Davis,  Mayor  Carroll,  the  city  council,  and 
invited  guests  occupied  seats  in  the  north  gallery.  After 
music  by  Carter's  band,  George  Mabbett,  chairman  of 
the  industrial  committee,  who  presided,  introduced  Mr. 


HON.  THOMAS  P.  BARNEFIELD, 

CHAIRMAN    OF  SUNDAY-SCHOOL    SERVICES,    DUNNELL    PARK. 


Henry  E.  Tiepke,  the  chairman  of  the  city  council  com- 
mittee, who  delivered  an  address  reviewing  the  work 
which  had  been  accomplished  in  preparing  for  the  event 
of  the  day.  There  was  also  an  address  by  Governor 
John  W.  Davis,  and  more  music,  after  which  the  super- 
intendent, Hon.  Albert  R.  Sherman,  pressed  the  button 
which  connected  with  a  gong  in  the  exhibit  of  the  Paw- 
tucket  Steam  and  Gas  Pipe  Co.,  in  machinery  hall,  and 
in  an  instant  the  Armington  &  Sims  engine  began  its 
revolutions,  and  the  exhibition  was  declared  formally 
opened. 

Through  the  week,  and  the  following  one,  large  num- 
bers of  people  from  the  State,  and  neighboring  States, 
visited  this  exhibit.  The  school  children  were  invited  to 
attend  in  the  afternoon,  the  two  last  days  of  the  exhibi- 
tion, and  the  privilege  was  eagerly  accepted.  The  main 
building  provided  was  found  to  be  inadequate  for  the 
purposes  desired,  and  an  addition,  and  finally  a  second 
one  was  put  on,  and  every  inch  of  room  available  was 
occupied  by  exhibitors.  The  machinery  was  largely  in 
the  first  annex,  and  here  it  was  designed  to  show  the  pro- 
cess of  the  manufacture  of  cotton  goods  in  various  forms, 
from  the  beginning.  The  interior  of  the  building  was 
decorated  with  bunting,  in  front  of  the  gallery  was  a 
large  portrait  of  Samuel  Slater,  and  in  the  interior  of 
the  main  hall  was  a  design  for  a  monument  to  the  mem- 
ory of  Slater,  originated  by  Superintendent  Sherman 
and  which  attracted  much  attention,  the  more  so,  because 
the  original  idea  of  a  monument  was  not  carried  out. 
There  was  also  erected  a  representation  of  a  building  in 
the  form  of  a  cross,  with  equal  wings,  the  frame-work 
covered  with  every  variety  of  cotton  material  which 
it  was  possible  to  obtain.  This  was  called  the  Slater 
Pavilion.  A  representative  of  Superintendent  Sherman 
searched  out  every  kind  of  material  made  from  cotton 
that  could  be  found  from  any  source,  and  one  yard 
or  more  of  each  was  obtained.  The  cotton  material 
was  put  on  in  folds,  and  the  varieties  cost  from  three 
cents  to  $1.25  per  yard.  Every  mill  in  Fall  River  had 
a  representation  on  the  covering  to  this  pavilion,  and  the 
estimated  cost  was  $175.  There  were  two  rooms  in  the 
interior,  in  which  were  displayed  the  Slater  relics,  and 
others  more  or  less  connected  with  the  industry  which 
he  represented.  There  were  shown  a  fire  bucket  of  the 
date  1797,  a  thread  winder  one  hundred  years  old,  used 
by  William  Allen  of  Pawtucket,  a  clock  used  by  Slater 
and  a  chair  that  came  over  in  the  Mayflower,  an  old 
spread  decorated  with  blue  flowers,  woven  by  Mrs. 
Hannah  H.  Whitman  in  1750,  and  other  articles  of 
ancient  date,  including  a  bed  quilt  made  of  cloth  woven 
by  Slater.  There  was  a  chair,  a  collection  of  pottery, 
an  old  sideboard  and  the  piano  which  belonged  to  Slater  ; 
a  shuttle  150  years  old,  a  basket  made  by  Jared  Sherman 
after  he  had  passed  his  ninetieth  birthday,  and  a  sample 
of  the  first  piece  of  cloth  made  in  this  country  after  the 
embargo  on  English  goods  in  1812.  There  was  to  be 
seen  also,  the  old  lock  from  the  old  duck  mill  in  Central 
Falls,  the  model  of  Eli  Whitney's  cotton  gin,  and  the 
sword  of  John  Howard  Payne,  the  author  of  "  Home, 
Sweet  Home,"  obtained  by  Hon.  Amos  Perry,  of  Prov- 
idence, from  Tunis. 


THE  CENTENARY  CELEBRATION. 


65 


INTERIOR  OF    MACHINERY    HALL,    INDUSTRIAL    EXHIBITION. 


Photographed  by   Frbby.      Engraved  by  Crosacttf  (S:   H'ftt. 


At   the   southern  end  of  the    main    hall,    there   were 
twelve  steps  covered  with  cotton  plants,  designed  to  rep- 
resent a  cotton  field,  and  in  the  annex  there  was  arranged 
an  interesting  allegorical  representation.     Over  the  en- 
trance to  the  room  was  the  sign  "  Almy,  Slater  &  Brown." 
At  a  table  on  opposite  sides,  were   impersonations  of 
"  Uncle   Sam  "  and  Samuel  Slater  —  the  latter  seated  in 
a  chair,  with  different  kinds  of  yarns  before  him.    Uncle 
Sam  was  congratulating  Slater  on  his  success,  and  there 
were  shown  in  this  same  room  some  of  the  finest  cotton 
goods  made,  from  the  works  of  the  Lonsdale  Co.,  the 
Slater  Co.,  and  the  mills  of  John  W.  Slater,  Slatersville. 
Two  objects  —  the  source  of  constant  attention — were 
the   old    card    and    spinning   frame    of  Samuel    Slater. 
These  were  placed  in  the  centre  of  Machinery  Hall,  the 
card  by  the  side  of  a  modern   card,  and  the  spinning 
frame  by  the  side  of  the  recent  inventions.      The   im- 
proved card  does  its  work  by  the  same  method,  and  the 
old  spinning  frame  was  put  in  operation,  and  produced 
as  good  cotton  as  could  be  made  on  any  frame  in  exis- 
tence.    This  frame  and  card  had  been  for  over  twenty- 
five  years  in    the    upper  part  of  the    Old    Slater   Mill 
unused.     They  had  been  presented  to  the   Smithsonian 
Institution    by    Mr.    Gideon    L.  Spencer,  and  were  in 
Washington  when  arrangements  were  in  progress  for  the 


industrial  exhibition.  The  frame  could  not  be  made  to 
work  by  the  Washington  people,  'but  under  the  direction 
of  Superintendent  Sherman  it  was  put  in  running  order. 
After  the  exhibition  closed  the  frame  and  card  were 
returned  to  Washington. 

The  exhibits  of  machinery,  either  for  the  manufacture 
of  cotton  goods  or  connected  therewith,  were  in  the  first 
annex  to  the  rear  of  the  building,  and  were  substantially 
as  follows : 

Brown  Cotton  Gin  Co.,  New  London,  Conn.,  cotton  gin. 
Potter  &  Atherton  Machine  Co  ,  Pawtucket,  two  lappers. 
Pettee    Machine    Works,    Newton  Upper  Falls,    Mass.,  revolv- 
ing flat  card. 
Franklin  Machine  Co.,  Providence,  top  flat  card,  and  spinning 

frame 
William  Blakely,   Providence,  eclipse   spinning  ring  and  guide, 

recently  made. 

H.  T.  Carpenter,  Pawtucket,  two  yarn  balling  reels. 
Gunn   &  Brown,  Lawrence,   Mass.,  assortment   of  power-loom 

shuttles. 
James  Brown,  Pawtucket,  self-operating   spinning  mule,  hailing 

machine,  and  double  spinning  jenny. 
S.  Colvin   &  Co.,  River   Point,    two  shuttle  looms   for  making 

Lonsdale  cotton. 
Knowles   Loom   Works,  Worcester,    Mass.,  two   new   gingham 

looms. 
D.  T.  Dudley  &  Co.,  Wilkinsonville,  Mass.,  assortment  of  shuttles 

and  irons. 
Royal  Weaving  Co.,  Pawtucket,  loom  for  making  Oolah  silks. 


66 


THE  COTTON  CENTENNIAL. 


ALBERT  R.  SHERMAN, 

SUPERINTENDENT    OF     INDUSTRIAL    EXHIBITION. 

Pawtucket  Hair  Cloth  Co.,  Pawtucket,  loom  for  making  hair 
cloth. 

Kales  &  Jenks  Machine  Co.,  Pawtucket,  filling  frame. 

Charles  A.  Luther  &  Co  ,  Pawtucket,  60  spool  reel,  and  Stephens' 
four  color  yarn  printing  machine. 

Woonsocket  Machine  &  Press  Co.,  144  spindle  speeder. 

Cole  Bros.,  Pawtucket,  beaming  machine. 

American  Supply  Co.,  machine  for  making  Jacquard  heddles, 
and  for  making  loom  harnesses. 

Willcomb  Knitting  Machine  Co.,  universal  knitting  machine, 
built  by  Campbell  Machine  Co  ,  Pawtucket. 

Excelsior  Loom  &  Reed  Works,  reed  machine. 

James  L.  Inman,  Putnam,  Conn.,  automatic  banding  machine. 

George  W.  Payne  &  Co.,  Pawtucket,  upright  spooler. 

Lebanon  Mill  Co  ,  Pawtucket,  knitting  frame. 

Campbell  Machine  Co  ,  Pawtucket,  lock-stitch  wax  thread  sew- 
ing machines  for  harnesses  and  shoes. 

Ernest  Jacob,  Pawtucket,  hand  loom  for  weaving. 

J.  M.  Carpenter,  Pawtucket,  case  of  taps  and  dies. 

Reach  &  Brown,  Valley  Falls,  exhibition  of  ladies'  underwear 

Pawtucket  Steam  &  Gas  Piping  Co  ,  exhibit  of  gas  fittings, 
plumbers'  materials  and  electrical  supplies. 

Easton  &  Burnham,  Pawtucket,  100  spindle  spooler. 

Steadman  &  Fuller,  Providence,  card  clothing  machine. 

M.  Buckley,  Pawtucket,  manufacture  of  files  in  practical  oper- 
ation. 

Evening  Tribune,  Pawtucket,  A.  B.  Taylor  printing  press. 

W.  J.  Hood  &  T.  D.  Rice  Manufacturing  Co.,  Valley  Falls, 
wood  turning  machine  and  manufactured  articles. 

Lyons  Delany  &  Co  ,  Pawtucket,  exhibit  of  grinding  and  making 
mustard. 

In  the  second  annex  were  the  following  exhibits  by 
local  firms : 

Eastern  Advertising  Co.,  calendars. 

Bernard  McCaughey  &  Co.,  novelties  in  stove  furnishings. 


Phillips  Insulated  Wire  Co.,  weatherproof  electric  light  wire 
John  T.  Cottrell,  doors,  blinds,  conductors  and  mouldings. 
Brown  Bros.  &  Co.,  Providence,  all  kinds  of  mill  furnishings. 
II.  Ilartwell  Jencks,  collection  of  old  relics. 

E.  L.   Freeman   &  Co.,  collection  of  pictures,  made  by  the  arto- 

gravure  process,  and  display  of  stationery  and  blank  books. 
American  Supply  Co.,  various  sizes  of  belting,  including  one  piece 

155  feet  long,  53  inches  wide,  5  8' inch  thick,  weighing  2,022 

Ibs.,  made  for  the  Wamstitta  Mills,  New  Bedford,  Mass. 
Whitinsville  Spinning  Ring  Co.,  exhibit  of  rings  and  traveler 

clearers. 

Wm.  R.  Walker  &  Son,  local  architectural  drawings. 
P.  E.  Thayer  &  Co.,  exhibit  of  fancy  brushes  of  all  kinds. 
Jackson  Patent  Shell  Roll  Co.,  case  and  table  of  shell  rolls. 
Henry  F.  Jenks,  window  spring. 
Hood    &    Rice   Manufacturing   Co.,    duplicate    exhibit  of  wood 

turning. 
Carpenter  &  Co.,  Mystic  ranges  and  parlor  furniture. 

In  the  main  building  were  the  following  exhibits,  rep- 
resenting the  business  of  Pawtucket : 

R.  Bliss  Manufacturing  Co.,  tennis  goods  and  tool  chests 

J.    L    Spencer,  Agent  (Old  Slater  Mill),  cotton  yarns,  twines  and 

thtead. 

H.  L.  Spencer,  agent  and  dealer  in  Columbia  and  Victor  bicycles. 
F    E.  Wright  &  Co.,  printed  goods  and  stationery. 

F.  D.  Morse  &  Son,  blank-books  of  various  kinds. 

A.  W.  Allen,  inks  of  his  own  make. 
Blanchard  Bros.,  case  of  optical  goods. 
John  J.  Kenyon,  fancy  twines  and  lacings. 
Deahy  Bros.,  exhibit  of  dry  goods. 

Pawtucket  Furniture  Co  ,  Glenwood  ranges  and  furniture. 
R.  I   Electric  Protective  Co.,  Providence,  electrical  supplies 

G.  H.  Schuyler,  jewelry  and  novelty  goods. 
James  Nisbet,  hot-house  flowers  and  bulbs. 
Standard  Bottling  Co  ,  all  kinds  of  carbonated  drinks. 
Marshall  &  Son,  exhibit  of  the  method  of  making  hats. 
Central  Falls  Woolen  Mill,  exhibit  of  woolens. 

T.  Vacher,  case  of  stuffed  birds. 

Albert  L.  Hitchcock,  model  of  an  automatic  coal  dumper,  also 

of  a  steam  shovel,  and  weather   strip,  and  self-locking  hoist 

for  hoisting  apparatus. 

N.  E.  Towel  Supply  Co.,  household  furnishing  goods 
Ellis  Thayer  &  Son,  assortment  of  brushes. 

B.  A.  Gage  &  Co.,  woolen  knit  goods. 


GEORGE   MABBETT, 


CHAIRMAN    OF    INDUSTRIAL     EXHIBIT    COMMITTEE. 


THE  CENTENARY  CELEBRATION. 


MAIN  STREET,  MILITARY  DAY,  LOOKING  FROM  TRINITY  SQUARE,  PAWTUCKET. 

Photographed  by  Bebby. 


John  Devlin,  assortment  of  quartz  and  stones. 

Perry  Oil  Co.,  samples  of  lubricating  oil,  and  Champion  har- 
ness oil  soap. 

J.  O.  Draper  &  Co.,  mantel  constructed  of  soap,  and  an  exhibit 
of  fancy  soaps. 

T.  F.  Clarke,  case  of  cigars. 

F.  Q^  Follett,  exhibit  of  oil  paintings. 

Philip  L.  Webster,  Peace  Dale,  names  and  mottoes  made  from 
wire. 

Fred  W.  Dexter,  jewelry,  vases,  silverware,  and  European  novel- 
ties 

Meiklejohn  &  Lomas,  Miller,  Briggs,  Sterling,  S.  G.  Chicker- 
ing,  Simpson  &  Brown  pianos;  Estey  and  Worcester  organs. 

Union  Steam  and  Gas  Pipe  Co  ,  New  Standard  steam  heater,  an 
Allen  improved  heater,  and  Spence  hot  water  heater. 

George  A.  Jencks  &  Co.,  furnaces  and  ranges. 

Frank  M.  Borden,  exhibit  of  different  kinds  of  candy. 

Fisk  &  Co.,  pharmacists'  goods,  perfumery,  and  fine  confections 

Evening  Tribune,  printed  souvenirs,  magazines,  and  daily  news- 
papers. 

R.  A.  Butler,  case  of  kid  and  morocco  in  different  colors. 

A.  G.  Hazard,  assortment  of  fish  lines. 

Lorraine  Manufacturing  Co.,  display  of  Scotch  zephyrs  and  fine 
woven  goods. 

D.  GofF&  Sons,  case  of  Goft"'s  braids. 

David  Harley  &  Co.,  fancy  crockery,  souvenir  glass  tumblers, 
and  laces. 


John  Boyle  &  Co.,  candy  booth. 

Squire  Z    Phinney,  case  of  cigars. 

Eagle   Dye   Works,  exhibit  of  dyed  cottons,   and   an  American 

flag  made  of  carded  colored  cotton. 
Royal  Weaving  Co.,  fine  dress  goods. 
New  Idea  Store,  white  muslins  and  fancy  aprons. 

In  the  evening  the  Garfield  Club,  of  Pawtucket,  gave 
a  banquet  at  Music  Hall,  in  honor  of  the  one  hundredth 
anniversary  of  the  introduction  of  cotton  spinning  in 
America.  Nearly  every  member  of  the  club  was  pres- 
ent. Over  the  guests'  tables  on  the  stage  was  suspended 
the  motto,  "  Welcome,"  and  from  the  ceiling  over  the 
centre  table  a  large  bale  of  white  cotton,  draped  artis- 
tically. Music  was  furnished  by  Hedly's  National  Band  ; 
the  catering  by  Cooke,  of  Boston.  The  guests  of  the 
club  were  :  Governor  Morgan  G.  Bulkeley,  of  Connec- 
ticut ;  Adjutant-General  Andrew  Embler,  Quartermaster- 
General  William  B.  Reed,  Surgeon-General  Harry 
Hungerford,  Paymaster-General  Wallace  B.  Fenn,  Com- 
missary-General Eugene  F.  Boss,  Aides-de-Camp  Colonel 
William  C.  Skinner,  General  James  Y.  Fairman,  Colonel 
Henry  S.  Redfield,  Colonel  William  E.  A.  Bulkeley, 


68 


THE  COTTON  CENTENNIAL. 


Assistant  Adjutant-General  George  M.  White  and  Assis- 
tant Quartermaster-General  Henry  C.  Morgan  ;  Lieuten- 
ant-Governor William  H.  Haile,  of  Massachusetts ; 
Colonel  George  A.  Keeler,  Colonel  William  H.  Dyer, 
Colonel  E.  V.  Mitchell  and  Colonel  S.  M.  Hedges; 
Colonel  Milton  H.  French,  of  Maine  ;  Hon.  John  C. 
Linehan,  of  New  Hampshire  ;  Hon.  Charles  Carleton 


JOHN   W.   DAVIS, 

• 

GOVERNOR    OF     RHODE     ISLAND. 

Coffin,  of  Boston ;  ex-Governors  Royal  C.  Taft  and 
Henry  Howard,  ex-Lieutenant-Governor  Daniel  G.  Lit- 
tlefield,  ex-Mayor  George  H.  Grant,  of  Woonsocket,  ex- 
Mayor  A.  K.  Goodwin,  Colonel  I.  L.  Goff,  Charles  A. 
Lee,  editor  Gazette  and  Chronicle;  F.  H.  Harcourt, 
of  the  Evening  Times;  Hon.  Joshua  Wilbour,  Hon. 
Henry  B.  Metcalf,  Benjamin  F.  Davis,  Department 
Commander  G.  A.  R.  ;  Mr.  H.  A.  L.  Potter,  Jr.,  Rev. 
J.  J.  Woolley,  William  M.  P.  Bowen. 

President  Tiepke  presided,  and  speeches  were  made 
by  Hon.  Charles  Carleton  Coffin,  who  related  some  inci- 
dents in  the  life  of  General  Garfield,  Governor  Bulkeley, 
of  Connecticut,  Lieutenant-Governor  Haile,  of  Massa- 
chusetts, Colonel  John  C.  Linehan,  of  New  Hampshire, 
and  ex-Governor  Royal  C.  Taft,  of  Rhode  Island. 
Letters  of  regret  were  read  from  Governor  James  A. 
Beane,  of  Pennsylvania,  ex-Governor  Herbert  W.  Ladd, 
of  Rhode  Island,  and  Governor  David  H.  Goodell,  of 
New  Hampshire.  After  the  formal  speaking,  an  im- 
promptu reception  was  held  on  the  stage  by  the  guests. 

Prior  to  the  arrival  of  Governor   Bulkeley   in  Paw- 


tucket,  he,  with  his  personal  staff  and  the  famous  Foot 
Guard,  of  Hartford,  which  accompanied  him,  was  given 
a  reception  at  the  Narragansett  Hotel,  Providence.  The 
party  was  met  at  the  depot  by  the  star!"  of  Governor 
Davis  and  escorted  through  the  principal  streets  to  the 
hotel.  Adjutant-General  Dyer,  as  the  Governor's  repre- 
sentative, entertained  the  party  in  the  parlors,  after  which 
Governor  Bulkeley  and  staff"  were  driven  to  Paw- 
tucket. 


MILITARY   DAY. 

Tuesday  was  devoted  to  a  grand  display  of  the 
military  organizations  of  the  State,  including  the  Grand 
Army  and  the  Sons  of  Veterans,  forming  a  military 
pageant  unsurpassed  in  the  history  of  the  State.  Very 
early  in  the  inception  of  the  arrangements  for  the 
celebration,  the  General  Assembly  had  ordered  the 
State  Militia  to  Pawtucket  during  Centenary  week. 
Invitations  had  been  sent  to  organizations  in  other 
states,  and  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic  of  Rhode 
Island  decided  to  participate  in  the  parade.  New 
uniforms  had  been  obtained  for  the  militia,  and  there 
was  sufficient  rivalry  between  the  organizations  to 
ensure  the  success  of  the  parade.  Governor  Bulkeley 
of  Connecticut  was  accompanied  by  the  Foot  Guard 
of  Hartford,  Conn.,  a  very  historic  and  renowned 
organization.  Its  outfit,  the  same  that  has  been 
worn  for  more  than  a  century,  is  an  exact  copy  of  the 
uniform  of  the  British  Grenadier  Guards,  and  the 
charter  of  the  organization  dates  back  to  October  17, 
1771.  It  acted  as  escort  for  Washington,  Knox,  La- 
fayette, Rochambeau,  John  Adams,  Polk,  Johnson 
and  Grant,  and  for  every  governor  of  the  state  of 
Connecticut,  as  also  for  a  long  list  of  celebrations 
from  the  early  part  of  the  century. 

The  line  was  a  long  one,  and  necessarily  some  delay 
in  starting  resulted.  The  Governor's  salute  was  fired 
at  10.30,  and  at  11.30  the  procession  moved  and 
marched  through  the  principal  streets  of  Pawtucket. 
Guests  from  abroad  packed  the  rooms  of  the  Business 
Men's  Association  and  the  Mayor's  rooms,  and  were 
escorted  to  the  reviewing  stand,  whither  approached  at  i 
o'clock  Governors  Davis  and  Bulkeley  and  their  staffs. 
The  ceremony  of  the  review  was  very  impressive  and 
interesting,  and  the  different  companies  received  an  ova- 
tion from  friends  and  the  assembled  multitude  as  they 
passed  the  reviewing  stand.  The  procession  moved  in  the 
following  order : 

FIRST  DIVISION. 

Oliver  H.  Perry,  Chief  of  Police  of  Pawtucket;    Raymond   H. 
Rathbun,  High  Sheriff  of  Providence,  mounted. 

Deputy  Sheriffs  Franklin  B.  Ham,  Carlos  L.  Rogers,  Charles  E. 
Briggs  and  James  McCabe. 

Captain   Rhodes  and  Sergeant  Nickerson,  Officers  Tompkins, 

Reynolds,  Hand,  Arthur,  Smith,  Wilbur  and  McLaughlin, 

mounted. 
Mounted   Buglers   Bancroft,   of  Company  A,   First    Battalion 

Cavalry;  Gardner,  Company  B,  First  Battalion  of  Cavalry; 

Wackerling,  Battery  A,  Light  Artillery;  Brown,  Battery  A, 

Light  Artillery. 

GENERAL  OLNEY  ARNOLD,  Chief  Marshal. 


THE  CENTENARY  CELEBRATION. 


69 


Honorary  Staff:  Governor  Alfred  H.  Littlefield,  Lieutenant- 
Governor  Daniel  G.  Littlefield,  General  William  R.  Walker, 
Colonel  Stephen  R.  Bucklin,  Judge-Advocate  General  Pardon 
E.  Tillinghast,  Surgeon-General  James  L.  Wheaton,  Colonel 
Oscar  Lapham,  General  Horatio  Rogrrs,  Chaplain  Joseph 
J.  Woolley,  Colonel  Isaac  M.  Potter,  Professor  Alonzo  Wil- 
liams, Captain  D  Russell  Brown,  Captain  W.  B.  Sears  of 
Boston,  Colonels  Theodore  A.  Barton  and  James  S.  McCabe, 
General  William  Ames,  General  W.  W.  Douglas,  Henry  A. 
Stearns,  Henry  B.  Metcalf,  Colonel  John  McManus,  Colonel 
Isaac  L.  Goff,  George  Edward  Allen,  Colonel  EliasM.  Jencks. 

Aids  to  Chief  Marshal :  Colonel  Alonzo  E.  Pierce,  Colonel 
Almon  K  Goodwin,  Colonel  Robert  McCloy,  Major  Eugene 
B.  Crocker,  Major  James  W.  Larkin,  Colonel  Eben  N.  Lit- 
tlefield, Major  Stephen  F.  Fisk,  Lieutenant  Ferdinand  Bray, 
Lieutenant  George  J.  Fairbrother,  Colonel  William  H. 
Gurney,  Bernard  T.  Lennon  and  J.  Milton  Payne. 

Marshals:  Edward  L.  Freeman,  Albert  R.  Sherman,  John  E. 
Thompson,  Lyman  M.  Darling,  Charles  E.  Longley,  John 
S.  Brazeau,  John  T.  McGuire,  James  Linton,  Edwin  Darling, 
J.  Osfield,  Jr.,  Edward  Smith,  Arthur  W.  Stanley,  Ansel  D. 
Nickerson,  George  L.  Walker,  William  P.  Moroney,  Charles 
A.  Lee,  Elisha  W.  Bucklin,  Benjamin  F.  Smith,  Benjamin 
G.  Perkins,  Henry  M.  Arnold,  Philo  E.  Thayer,  Jacob  Shar- 
tenberg,  Everett  "P.  Carpenter,  Daniel  A.  jillson,  Bernard 
McCabe,  Edward  McCaughey,  John  H.  Coyle,  Abraham  Z. 
Falcon,  Daniel  S.  Dexter,  James  Nisbet,  James  H.  Mooney, 
Louis  H.  Beaudry  and  Charles  Vaughan. 

Assistant  Marshals,  Mounted  :  Charles  O.  Read,  John  S. 
Cottrell.  James  F.  Barry,  Bertrand  J.  Horton,  Walter  H. 
Stearns,  Jesse  M.  Fairbrother,  Lucius  B.  Darling,  Jr., 
Frank  Leonard,  Henry  H.  Sager,  Fred  W.  Allen, 
George  M.  Thornton. 

On  Foot:  W.  II.  Park,  F.  Eugene  Barker,  David  J.  White, 
Fred.  W.  Easton,  Charles  E.  Pen-ear,  Charles  R. 
Bucklin,  Arthur  H.  Metcalf,  S.  Frank  Dexter,  Benjamin 
W.  Gardner,  Claude  J.  Farnsworth.  George  C.  Newell, 
Herbert  C.  Darling,  Henry  L.  Spencer,  Charles  L. 
Knight,  Fred  W.  Dexter,  Fred  W.  Allen. 

In  Carriages:     Edward  W.    Blodgett,    C.    Fred    Crawford, 

Philip  C.  Sheldon. 
His  Excellency  Governor  Davis,   Commander-in-Chief. 

Staff,  Mounted  :  Adjutant-General  Dyer,  Assistant  Ad- 
iutant-General  Colonel  H  C.  White,  Quartermaster- 
(jeneral  Dennis,  Assistant  Quartermaster -General 
Walker,  Surgeon-General  Budloug,  Assistant  George 
II.  Ken  yon.  Judge  Advocate-General  Charles  A.  VVilson, 
Assistant  Walter  R.  Stiness,  Aids-de-Camp  Colonels 
Howard  Smith,  P.  E.  Hayes,  William  von  Gottschalk. 
William  J.  Nichols,  Vernon  O.  Taylor,  Dalton  E. 
Young. 

Brigadier-General  E.  H.  Rhodes,  Commanding  Brigade  R. 
I.  M. 

Staff:     Assistant  Adjutant-General  Philip  S.  Chase,  Assist- 
ant   Inspector-General    William    J.     Bradford,    Q^   M. 
Captain  John  J.  Jenckes,  Engineer  Captain  John  Howe, 
Provost  Marshal  Captain  B.    McSoley,    Signal   Officer 
Captain    Charles  R  ittmann,    Aides-de-Camp    Captain 
John  F.  Clark,  Captain  Fred  B.  Burt. 
Signal  Corps,  R.  I.  M.,  Sergeant  John  S.  Gill:  5  men. 
National  Band,  T.  W.  Hedly.   leader;  35  men. 

Second  Regiment  Infantry,  R.  I.  M  ,  325  men,  companies 
equalized;  Colonel  James  Moran  commanding. 

Staff:  Lieutenant-Colonel  J.  H.  McGann,  Major  William 
McPherson,  Adjutant  T.  F.  Dwyer,  Quartermaster  J. 
E  Downey,  Suraeon  J.  A.  O'Keefe,  Commissary 
Thomas  Brady,  Paymaster  Frank  Canning,  Chaplain 
T.  F.  Doran. 

Company  E,  Captain  Bernard  Hackett,  Lieutenants  John 
Kelly  and  John  J.  Kinion. 

Company  H,  Captain  Peter  Sweeney,  Lieutenants  John 
Gates,  John  Hennessey. 

Company  B,  Captain  John  McCrudden.  Lieutenant  D  G. 
Roche. 

Co  Tipany  F,   Captain  Thomas  Donahue. 
Co  npany  D,  Lieutenants  Frank  M.  Lally  and  John  J.  Lee. 

Company  G,  Captain  Joseph  E.  Burns,  Lieutenants  C.  F.  O'Con- 
nor and  Peter  R.  O'Reilly. 

Company  A,  Captain  Richard  R.  Howland  and  Lieutenant  John 
E.  Conley. 

American  Band,  D.  W.  Reeves,  leader;  40  pieces. 

First  Regiment  Infantry,  R.  I.  M. ,  320  men,  companies  equal- 
ized, Colonel  W.  H.  Thornton  commanding. 


Major  Hiram  Kendall,  Adjutant  A.  V.  Warfield,  Surgeon  George 
A.  Brug,  Quartermaster  Hezekiah  Martin,  Paymaster  John 
A.  Carter,  Commissary  Thomas  S.  Delano,  Chaplain  Rev. 
Thomas  H.  Cocroft  Assistant  Surgeon  Fred  T.  Rogers. 

Company  D,  Captain  Edwin  Draper,  Lieutenants  John  J.  May- 
berry  and  R.  L.  Coleman. 

Company  B  Captain  Harry  Rose,  Lieutenants  Albert  S.  Hig- 
gins  and  Herbert  S.  Tanner. 

Company  C,  Captain  Albert  F.  Brown,  Lieutenants  Daniel  J. 
Sully,  George  C.  Arnold. 

Company  E,  Captain  Everett  E.  Whipple,  Lieutenants  J.  Irving 
Maxson  and  A.  C.  Thompson. 

Company  H,  Captain  Giles  W.  Easterbrooks,  Lieutenants  Will- 
iam McGregor  and  Charles  E.  Gaidiner. 
Company  A,  Lieutenants  George  L.  Butts  and  A.  C.  Brown. 

Company  F,  Captain  George  W.  Norman,  Lieutenants  C.  H. 
Ledward  and  Waller  N.  Kinney. 

Company  G.  Captain  George  A.  Forsyth,  Lieutenant  H.  E. 
Williams. 

Martland's  Fifth  Regimental  Band,  Brockton,  Mace  Gay,  leader, 
25  pieces. 

Company  I,  Fifth  Regiment  Infantry,  M.  V.  M.,  Captain  Will 
H,  Goff,  Lieutenants  H.  A.  Clark  and  O.  P.  Richardson,  60 
men. 

Second  Brigade  Massachusetts  Signal  Corps,  Boston,  Lieuten- 
ant C.  Merton  Healey,  25  men. 

Drum  Corps. 


GEN.   OLNEY    ARNOLD, 

CHIEF    MARSHAL,   CENTENNIAL    WEEK. 

First  Separate  Company,  Infantry,  R.  I.  M.,  Captain  Robert  W. 
Blount,  Lieutenants  Elza  A.  Rollins  and  F.  S.  Bovven,  35 
men. 

Second  Separate  Comoany,  Infantry,  Lieutenants  C.  H.  Wright 

and  R.  B.  Minton,  30  men. 

Machine  Gun  Battery,  Lieutenant  William  Ely,  20  men. 
Battery  A,   Light  Artillery,  R.  I.  M.,  Captain  Andrew  Gray, 

Lieutenants    Ed^ar    R.    Barker,    Charles    H.    Weaver    and 

Charles  A.  Town,  75  men. 

First  Battalion  Cavalry,  R   I.  M. 


70 


THE  COTTON  CENTENNIAL. 


COL.  WM.  H.  GURNEY, 

CHIEF    MARSHAL   SECRET   AND   CIVIC   SOCIETIES    PROCESSION. 

Major  Alexander  Strauss,  Adjutant  Thomas  Child,  Surgeon 
Cha  les  Hayes.  Quartermaster  George  S.  Tingley,  Commis- 
sary Ferdinand  Biay,  Chaplain  Rev.  Joseph  J.  Woolley. 

Company  A,  Captain  Edward  T.  Jones,  Lieutenants  James  and 
Charles  Allerson.  38  men. 

Company  B,  Lieutenants  William  A.  Maynard  and  Fred  E. 
Page. 

Honorable  staff  of  the  Roxbury  Horse  Guards. 

Roxbury  Horse  Guards.  Troop  D,  First  Cavalry,  M.  V.  M., 
Captain  David  K.  Henderson,  Lieutenants  S.  B.  King,  G. 
F.  Henderson,  150  men. 

SKCOXD  DIVISION. 

Provisional  Brigade  of  Rhode  Island  Militia,  under  command  of 
Co  onel  Cvius  M  Van  Slyck,  mounted. 

Staff:  Lieutenant  John  G.  Wood,  Acting  Assistant  Adjutant- 
General :  Major  William  J.  McCaw.  Lieutenant-Colonel 
McL'-od,  Lieutenant  Stacey.  mounted,  and  Colonel  George 
A.  Keeler,  Assistant  Inspector-General  of  Massachusetts,  as 
guest  on  staff. 

Newport  Band,  J.  W.  Gash,  leader,  22  pieces. 
Newport  Artillery,  Colonel  Jere  W.  Horton,  commanding. 

Staff:  Surgeon  C.  F.  Baker,  Assistant  Su'geon  C.  M.  Cole, 
Paymaster  E.  D.  T.  Bosworth,  Assistant  Paymaster  J.  H. 
Martin,  Assistant  Commissary  George  W.  Tilley  and  ex- 
Colonel  George  H.  Vaughan. 

First  Company,  in  command  of  Lieutenant-Colonel  Brown,  20 
muskets. 

Second  Company,  in  command  of  Captain  George  Tilley,  20 
muskets. 

Third  Company,  in  command  of  Quartermaster  H.  C.  Stevens, 
Jr.,  20  muskets. 

Fourth  Company,  in  command  of  Major  George  C.  Shaw,  20 
muskets. 

United  Train  of  Artillery,  Lieutenant-Colonel  E.  C.  Danforth 
in  command:  Paymaster,  Lieutenant  W.  E.  Gates;  Quarter- 
master, Lieutenant  F.  M.  Danforth;  Assistant  Surgeon, 
Lieutenant  J.  F.  Haller;  Assistant  Quartermaster,  Lieuten- 
ant W  E.  Burbank;  Commissary,  Lieutenant  W.  R.  Wat- 
tles; Assistant  Paymaster,  Lieu'enant  C.  A.  Vars;  Assist- 
ant Commissary,  Lieutenant  C  W.  Pierce. 

Company  A,  Captain  Sumner  B.  Hunt,  Lieutenant  Smithers,  40 
muskets. 

Company  B,  Captain  George  E.  Colman,  Lieutenant  W.  E. 
Angell,  36  muskets. 

Cambridge  City  Guards,  Cambridge,  Mass.,  Captain   Richard 
W.  Sutton,  Lieutenant  F.  H.  Griffin,  50  muskets. 
Pawtucket  City  Band,  William  Linton,  leader,  24  pieces. 

Kentish  Guards,  Colonel  W.  E  Brown,  Lieutenant  J.  McLeod, 
Major  L.  W.  Fiske,  Captain  H.  B.  Tisdale,  2  musicians  and 
40  muskets. 

Bristol  T'ain  of  Artillery,  Captain  Frank  Nichols,  Lieutenant 
Andrew  Briggs,  32  muskets. 

Woonsocket  Continental  Band,  Thomas  P.  Mowry,  leader,  20 
pieces. 


First  Light  Infantry  Veteran  Association,  Colonel  F.  F.  Olney 
commanding,  Lieutenant-Colonel  Chris'.opher  Duckworth, 
Major  James  R.  Dorrance 

Staff:  Acting  Adjutant  William  H.  Silloway,  Quartermaster 
Thomas  R.  Biadford,  Jr.,  Com.  M.  W.  Lonergan,  Clerk  W. 
W.  Burnham. 

Color  Guard,  F.  L.  I.  Veteran  Association,  consisting  of  four 
actives  in  full  infantry  uniform,  Assistant  Quartermaster 
Wm.  R.  Arnold,  Commissary  Sergeant  John  W.  Armstrong, 
Color  Sergeants  Henry  Barney  and  J.  E.  Reavey. 

F.  L.  I.  Veterans,  60  in  number,  as  one  company,  Captain  J.  W. 
Comstock,  Lieutenants  S.  A.  W.  Trafford,  Geo.  Hutchins, 
Frank  E  Lovell. 

THIRD  DIVISION. 

Colt's  American  Band,  of  Hartford  ;  26  pieces. 
His  Excellency  Morgan  G.  Bulkeley,  Governor  of  Connecticut, 
and  full  staff,  mounted.  Adjutant-General  A.  H.  Embler, 
Adjutant-General  Elisha  Dyer,  Assistant  Adjutant-General 
George  M.  White,  Quartermaster-General  William  B.  Ru- 
dolph, Pavmaster-General  Walter  T.  Fenn,  Colonels  Wil- 
liam C.  Skinner,  William  E.  A.  Bulkeley,  and  Henry  S. 
Redford. 

First  Company  Governor's  Foot  Guard,  of  Hartford,  as  escort  to 
Governor  Bulkeley,  Major  John  C.  Kinney,  mounted,  com- 
manding. 

Staff:  C.  C.  Strong,  Paymaster;  L.  T.  Fenn,  Quartermaster; 
S.  P.  Cooley,  Commissary;  E.  H.  Hyde,  Jr. ,  Judge  Advo- 
cate ;  M.  M.  Johnson,  Surgeon;  W.  A.  M.  Wainwright, 
Assistant  Surgeon;  Rev.  J.  W.  Bradin,  Chaplain;  George 
H.  Folts,  Engineer;  J.  J.  Poole,  inspector  of  Target  Prac- 
tice;  Atwood  Collins,  Ordnance  Officer;  E.  A.  Stedman, 
Adjutant;  A.  W.  Rood,  Signal  Officer. 

Non-Commissioned  Staff:  L.  N.  Hillman,  Sergeant-Major; 
Edson  Sessions.  Quartermaster-Sergeant ;  T.  R  Shannon, 
Hospital  Stewart;  L.  M.  Prouty,  Ordnance  Sergeant;  T.  H 
Goodrich,  Signal  Sergeant;  W.  T.  Main,  Color  Sergeant ; 
R.  W.  Williamson,  Color  Sergeant. 

Foot  Guard,  parading  as  a  battalion  of  four  companies,  Captain 
James  C.  Pratt,  Lieutenant-;  Henrv  Bryant,  Fayrtte  C. 
Clark,  G  J.  A  Naedele,  William  S.  Dwyer.  Ensign  Albert 
C.  Bill ;  94  men. 

Carriages  containing  officials  of  the  cities  of  Pawtucket,  Provi- 
dence, etc  ,  and  of  Rhode  Island  and  other  states. 

No.  I. —  Lieutenant   Governor  W;irdwell.  Bristol;    Secretary  of. 
State  McGuinness,  His  Honor  Mayor  Carroll. 

No.  2  — Lieutcnant-Governor  Ha'le,  of  Massachusetts  ;  Colonel 
W.  H.  Dyer,  of  Boston  ;  and  Chairman  Tiepke,  of  the  cele- 
bration Committee. 

No.  3.  Colonel  French,  of  staff  Governor  of  Maine;  Colonel 
J.  C.  Linehan  staff  Governor  of  New  Hampshire;  Quarter- 
Master  General  Charles  R.  Dennis,  of  Rhode  Island. 

No.  4.— Colonel  S  M.  Hedges,  and  Colonel  G.  A.  Keeler,  of 
staff  of  Governor  of  Massachusetts;  and  General  John  C. 
Budlong. 


OLIVER   H.   PERRY, 

CHIEF  OF  POLICE,   PAWTUCKET, 


THE  CENTENARY  CELEBRATION. 


LOOKING  DOWN   MAIN  STREET,   PAWTUCKET. 

Phoiog raphe d  by  Baker. 


No.  5. —  Senator  N.  F.  Dixon  ;  Congressman  C.  H.    Grosvenor, 

of  Ohio;  Congressman  W.  F.  Wilcox,  Connecticut. 
No.  6  — Co'onel  A.  C.  Mendenhall,  U.  S.  A.,  Newport ;  Captain 

Thompson,  U.  S.  A. ,  Providence  ;  Colonel  Walter  R.  Stiness, 

Providence. 
No.    7.  —  Honorable   Thomas   Durfee,   Chief  Justice,    Rhode 

Island;  and  Justices  Stiness  and  Tillinghast. 
No.  8  —  Rt.  Rev.  Bishop  Clark,  President  Andrews,  of  Brown 

University;  Rev.  Edward  Everett  Hale,  D.  D.,  of  Boston; 

Rev.  E.  O.  Bartlett. 
No.  9. —  Honorable  H.  W.  Ladd,  Honorable  George  P.  Wetmore, 

Honorable  A.  H.  Littlefield. 
No   to. —  Honorable  Wm.  Sprague,   Canonchet;    Honorable  H. 

Howard,  Coventry;  Honorable  R.  C.  Tatt,  Providence. 
No.  ii. —  Mayors   Coggeshall,  Newport;     Pond,  Woonsocket; 

Barker,  Providence. 
No   12.  —  Mayors   E.    S.   Bradford,   of    Springfield;     Stillman 

Humphrey,  H.  F.  Peck,  of  New  Haven  ;  Asa  T.  Newhall,  of 

Lynn. 
No.  13. —  Captain  A.  H.  Russell,  U.  S.  A. ;  Lieutenant  Douglass 

Howard.  U.  S.  A. ^   Colonel  Kenyon. 
No.  14.— Vice  Commander  Tobin,  G.  A.   R. ;  Rev.  Chauncey 

Leonard  ;  Adjutant-General  Edward  F.  Premiss. 
No.  15.—  Honorable  Charles  Carleton  Coffin,  H.  N.  Slater  and 

W.  A.  Slater. 

No.  16. —  Honorable   L.    W.  Ballou,  Honorable   W.  A.  Pirce, 
Honorable  C.  H.  Page,  Honorable  B.  T.  Eames. 

No.  17. —  Ex-Lieutenant  Governors  Fay  and  Littlefield. 
No.  18. —  Honorable  Enos  Lapham,  Honorable  Oscar  Rathbun, 
Speaker  A.  J.  Miller,  Mayor  J.  F.  Sullivan,  Holyoke,  Mass. 


No   19. —  Postmasters  N.  D.  Sperry,  Charles   H.  George,  Isaac 

R.  Wilkinson. 
No.  20. —  Ex-Mayors  Sayles  and  Hayward,  Honorable  George  H. 

Grant,  Honorable  R.  S.  Franklin. 
No.  21. —  Aldermen  Nathan  A.  Chatterton,  George  A.  Saunders, 

William  F.  Meagher,  Joseph  E.  Jenckes. 

No.  22. —  Councilmen  O'Reilly,  B.  Lennon,  White  and  Thayer. 
No.  23 —  Councilmen  McKeough,  Peter  Lennon,  Sheldon  and 

Moore. 

No.  24. —  Councilmen  Halliday,  Brown,  Watson  and  Winters. 
Other  carriages,  in  addition  to  those  officially  numbered,  were 

in  the  line,  and  contained  a  number  of  prominent  citizens  of 

Pawtucket  and  Providence. 

FOURTH  DIVISION. 
Grand  Army  of  the  Republic. 

Department  colors,  with  an  escort  of  one  comrade  from  each 
Post. 

Benjamin  F.  Davis,  Commander  Department  of  Rhode  Island, 
G.  A.  R. 

Aides.— Chief  of  Staff  Samuel  B.  Hyndman,  Thomas  D.  Ric<>, 
C.  J  Carvell,  William  Daienport,  John  McCausland,  S.  C. 
Moulton.  Henry  M.  Howe,  Ansel  L.  Sweet,  Dr.  C.  O.  Bal- 
lou, D.  S.  Ray,  A.  Fry,  G.  B.  Willis,  A  B.  Pressey,  George 
M.  Turner,  Samuel  W.  K.  Allen,  Past  Department  Com- 
manders Charles  R.  Brayton,  Henj.  L.  Hall,  Charles  H. 
Williams,  Charles  C.  G  ay,  E.  C  Pomroy,  J  Costine;  Staff 
Department  Commander.  George  A.  Wooliey,  William  P. 
Perry.  Harry  W.  Sisson.  S.  P.  Spinning,  J  Harry  Welch.  E. 
K.  Ellis,  John  A.  Vaughn,  Dr.  T.  T.  Graves,  J.  H  Rick..rd, 
H.  A  Silvey,  Murdork  C.  McKmzie.  George  H.  Pettis; 
Senior  Vice  Department  Commander,  Benjamin  H.  Childs. 


72 


THE  COTTON  CENTENNIAL. 


Glenwood  Band,  of  Taunton,  William  F.  Lovisey,  leader;  26 
pieces. 

Prescott  Post,  No  i,  Providence,  William  A.  Spicer,  Comman- 
der; 75  comrades. 

Valley  F.dls  Continental  Band,  Frank  Walker,  leader;  16  pieces. 

Ballou  Post,  No.  3,  Central  Falls  Theodore  F.  Dexter,  Comman- 
der; 125  comrades,  with  banner  supported  by  Arthur  Ward 
and  Bertie  Bowen,  as  soldier  and  sailor. 

First  Regiment  Drum,  Fife  and  Bugle  Corps,  Massachusetts 
Volunteer  Militia,  John  E.  Campbell,  Drum  Major;  25  pieces. 

Fletcher  Webster  Post,  No.  13,  Department  of  Massachusetts,  of 
Brockton,  James  W.  Brown,  Commander;  75  comrades — 
guests  of  Ballou  Post,  No.  3. 

Fred  E.  Davis  Drum  Corps,  Providence,  Otis  Manchester, 
leader;  2  pieces. 

Arnold  Post  No.  4,  Providence,  Nelson  H.  Arnold,  Commander, 
75  comrades. 

Charles  E.  Lawton  Post,  No.  5,  Newport,  Overton  Langley, 
Commander;  50  comrades. 

Reno  Post,  No.  6,  East  Greenwich,  Augustus  S.  Paine,  Com- 
mander; 24  comrades. 

Farragut  Post,  No.  8,  Riverside,  Isaac  H.  Rogers,  Commander, 
15  comrades. 

Social  Brass  Band,  of  Woonsocket,  Henry  Dural,  leader,  18 
pieces. 

Smith  Post,  No.  9,  Woonsocket,  Thomas  A.  Buell,  Commander, 
40  comrades. 

Parks'  Continental  Fife  and  Drum  Band,  William  A.  Parks, 
leader,  6  pieces. 

Slocum  Post,  No.  10,  Providence,  William  E.  Stone,  Com- 
mander; 180  comrades. 

Thomas  Post,  No.  n,  Apponaug,  Robert  M.  Pollard,  Com- 
mander, 24  comrades. 

Ives  Post  Drum  Corps,  Providence,  Ezek  Freeman,  leader;  8 
pieces. 

Ives  Post,  No    13,   Providence,  John  A.  Jenkins,   Commander, 

40  comrades. 

McGregor  Post  Band,  Phenix,John  H.  Tennant,  leader ;  5  pieces. 
McGregor  Post,  No.  14,  Phenix,  James  Corcoran,  Commander; 

50  comrades. 

Bristol  Fife  and  Drum  Band,  Elnathan  P.  Brownell,  Jr.,  leader; 

10  pieces. 
Babbitt  Post,  No.  15,  Bristol,  Herbert  F.  Bennett,  Commander; 

50  comrades. 

Union  Cornet  Band,  ol  Quidnick. 
Bucklin  Post,  No.  20,  East  Providence,  Orland  Freeborn,  leader; 

75  comrades,  accompanied  by  the  Starboard  Watch. 
Lincoln  Post,  No.  22,  Hope  Valley,    Elisha   P.    Clarke,    Com- 
mander; 20  comrades. 

Pawtucket  City  Band,  William  H.  Christian,  leader,  26  pieces. 
Tower  Post,  No.  17,  Pawtucket,  Joseph  F.  Means,  Commander; 

130  comrades. 
Spary's  Military  Band,  Taunton,  William  C.   Spary,  leader;    24 

pieces. 
William  H.  Bartlett  Post,  No.  3      Department  of  Massachusetts, 

Taunton,  Alden  H.  Blake,  Commander;   150  comrades. 

Naval  Veterans.     Commodore  William  S.  Wells  commanding. 
Farragut  Association  of  Naval  Veterans,  port  of  Providence  ;   40 
shipmates;   William  H.   Place,  commanding. 

Sons  of  Veterans. 

The  Continental  Band,  Providence,  G.  A.  Stone,  leader;  25 
pieces. 

Color  Bearer. 
Colonel  T.  A.  Barton  and  Staff. 

Aids  to  Staff. 
General  A.  G.  Lawrence  Camp,  No.  3,  of  Newport,  Lieutenant 

F.  J.  James;  12  men. 

General  A.  E.  Burnside  Camp,  of  Providence;  Captain  W.  P. 
Hawkes,  First  Lieutenant  Clinton,  Second  Lieutenant  Lind- 
sey;   48  men. 
Camp  James  F.  DeWolf,  No.  8,  Bristol,  Captain  Gorham ;    16 

men 

Camp  A.  K.  Tilton  Drum  Corps,  A.  H.  Edgar,  leader  ;  10 pieces. 
Camp  A.  K.  Tilton,  No.  9,  Pawtucket,  Captain  J.  E.  Mason  ;    32 
men. 

Camp  C.  F.  Gordon,  No.  10,  Woonsocket,  Captain  W.  S.  Pres- 
ton; 16  men. 

Camp  General  James  A.  Garfield,  No.  n,  Providence,  Captain 
James  Warren,  Jr. ;  30  men. 


Camp  General  George  G.  Meade.No.  12,  East  Providence,  Lieil- 

tenanl  A.  O.  Chipman  ;  25  men. 
Camp  F   E.  Davis,  No.  13,  Providence,  Captain  M.  R.  Towne ; 

24  men  and  drum  corps. 

Roger  Williams  Drum  Corps,  F.  Lynch,  leader. 
Camp  I.  P.  Rodman, Wakefield,  No.  15,  Captain  S.  H.  Donahue ; 

24  men.' 
Camp  Thomas  Moies,  No.   14,  Central  Falls,  Captain  John  F. 

Clark,  32  men. 

After  the  line  was  dismissed,  dinner  was  served  in  tents 
on  Dexter  Street,  whither  the  different  organizations  were 
escorted.  Four  acres  of  ground  were  covered  by  the 
tents,  and  it  is  estimated  that  over  4,000  people  were  fed. 

In  the  evening  the  tents  on  Dexter  Street  were  taken 
possession  of  by  the  Rhode  Island  Grand  Army  of  the 
Republic,  and  a  camp  fire  was  held  in  which  the  Veterans, 
the  Sons  of  Veterans  and  a  large  number  of  invited  guests 
participated.  Plates  had  been  laid  for  2,000  persons,  and 
after  the  different  organizations  had  taken  the  places 
assigned  to  them,  there  was  little  room  to  spare.  The 
fare  was  simple— consisting  principally  of  baked  beans, 
bread  and  coffee.  Reeves'  American  Band  of  Provi- 
dence furnished  music  during  the  supper  and  at  intervals 
through  the  evening.  Department  Commander  Benja- 
min F.  Davis  presided,  and  speeches  were  made  by 
Mayor  Hugh  J.  Carroll,  Lieutenant  Governor  Haile  of 
Massachusetts,  Governor  Davis  of  Rhode  Island,  Chief 
Marshal  General  Olney  Arnold,  Nathan  Appleton  of 
Post  113,  Massachusetts,  John  C.  Linehan,  Senior  Vice 
Commander  of  New  Hampshire,  General  Elisha  H. 
Rhodes,  Councilman  B.  T.  Lennon,  Commodore  Wells, 
Commander  Albert  E.  Sholes,  of  Georgia,  Chaplain 
Leonard  and  Councilman  Tiepke.  Past  Department 
Commander  B.  L.  Hall  recited  several  selections,  the 
whole  assembly  joined  in  singing  "Marching  Through 
Georgia"  and  other  patriotic  selections,  and  the  camp 
fire  broke  up  by  singing  "  Auld  Lang  Syne." 

Among  the  distinguished  guests  present,  apart  from 
the  speakers,  were  the  following :  Henry  B.  Metcalf, 
Colonel  E.  O.  Bartlett,  ex-Lieutenant  Governor  Daniel 
G.  Littlefield,  ex-Governor  Alfred  H.  Littlefield,  W.  H. 
Park,  ex-Mayor  Goodwin  of  Pawtucket,  George  A. 
Mumford  of  Pawtucket,  R.  D.  Mason  of  Pawtucket, 
Captain  Joshua  Lothrop,  A.  H.  Blake,  William  R.  Sayles, 
Captain  Charles  Rittmann,  Major  Alexander  Strauss,  Cap- 
tain G.  W.  Easterbrooks,  ex-Mayor  Sayles  of  Pawtucket, 
George  P.  Grant,  G.  J.  Fairbrother,  Judge  Isaac  Shove 
of  Pawtucket,  City  Clerk  Alden  Sibley  of  Pawtucket, 
Major  E.  B.  Crocker,  Colonel  Sans  Souci,  Colonel  T.  A. 
Barton,  Dr.  George  H.  Kenyon,  Nathan  B.  Lewis, 
Rev.  Chauncey  Leonard,  Chaplain ;  B.  H.  Child  of 
Providence,  Senior  Vice  Commander  ;  George  M.  Tur- 
ner, Junior  Vice  Commander ;  D.  S.  Ray,  Assistant 
Quartermaster  General ;  Ansel  D.  Nickerson,  Charles  A. 
Lee,  Christopher  Duckworth,  Rev.  W.  Halligan,  Colonel 
S.  M.  Hedges  of  Governor  Brackett's  staff",  Major  F. 
W.  Appleton  of  Boston  ;  Rev.  J.  J.  Woolley,  Rev.  J.A. 
Hurley,  Rev.  E.  H.  Porter,  Rev.  M.  Fitzgerald,  Rev. 
H.  F.  Kinnerney,  Rev.  Edwin  Bromley,  Rev.  P.  M. 
Vinton,  Rev.  Geo.  Bullen,  Rev.  W.  P.  Tucker,  Rev. 
Benjamin  Eastwood,  W.  W.  Blodgett,  Henry  Fletcher, 
General  W.  R.  Walker,  James  Linton,  W.  P.  Moroney, 
J.  S.  Read,  Superintendent  of  Lights,  of  Pawtucket ; 


d-M-  CRAWFORD 


"THE 'DECORATIONS  WERE  PROFUSE." 


THE  COTTON  CENTENNIAL. 


J.   MILTON   PAYNE, 

CHIEF   MARSHAL    TRADES    PROCESSION. 

W.  P.  Allen,  Highway  Commissioner,  of  Pawtucket ; 
W.  M.  Peckham,  Overseer  of  Poor ;  Chief  of  Fire  De- 
partment John  Brierly  of  Pawtucket,  Captain  of  Police 
E.T.  Rhodes  of  Pawtucket,  Chief  of  Police  Perry  of  Paw- 
tucket, T.  P.  Barnefield,  D.  L.  Wilkinson,  F.  W. 
Easton,  Lewis  Fairbrother  ;  Gideon  Spencer,  Past  Depart- 
ment Commander  ;  C.  C.  Gray,  Past  Department  Com- 
mander ;  B.  L.  Hall,  Past  Department  Commander; 
Colonel  Nathan  D.  Pierce,  Jr.,  of  Warwick;  A.  K. 
McMahon,  Past  Department  Commander;  F.  A.Arnold, 
Past  Department  Commander,  Colonel  C.  H.  Williams, 
of  Providence,  George  W.  Newell,  E.  S.  Binford,  C.  H. 
Bullock,  F.  E.  Drown,  F.  Eugene  Barker,  Dr.  G.  H. 
Stanley,  J.  F.  Abbott,  E.  L.  Freeman,  C.  Fred  Craw- 
ford, S.  F.  Dexter,  Dr.  J.  L.  Wheaton,  Captain  F.  M. 
Bates,  David  J.  White,  Councilmen  White,  McKeough, 
Winters,  Lennon,  Sheldon,  O'Reilly,  Larkin,  Halliday, 
Thayer,  Moore,  Brown  and  Watson  of  Pawtucket ; 
Aldermen  Saunders,  Chatterton,  Jenckes,  Meagher  and 
Smith  of  Pawtucket ;  Charles  R.  Bucklin. 


TRADES  DAY. 

The  third  day  of  the  celebration  was  devoted  to  a  pro- 
cession of  the  tradesmen  of  Pawtucket  and  vicinity,  fol- 
lowed by  a  parade  of  the  secret  and  civic  societies  in  the 
afternoon.  The  business  men  took  the  opportunity  to 
make  their  finest  display,  and  the  result  showed  it  to  be 
one  of  the  most  prominent  features  of  the  week.  Early 
in  the  day  the  wagons  began  to  arrive,  keeping  the  mar- 
shal and  his  assistants  busy  assigning  them  to  their 
respective  positions.  The  line  started  at  10:15  a.  m., 
from  Mineral  Spring  Park,  where  the  right  of  the  line 
had  rested,  and  arrived  at  the  reviewing  stand  at  11.15, 
where  General  Olney  Arnold,  the  chief  marshal  for  the 
week,  was  stationed.  Among  the  guests  on  the  review- 
ing stand  were  Mayor  Peck  and  Judge  Pickett  of  New 
Haven,  Conn.,  Alderman  Mahl  of  Hartford,  and  James 


Dempsey  of  Lewiston,  Me.  The  route  of  march  was 
through  Main,  School,  Prospect,  Pond,  Summit,  Cot- 
tage, Allen  Avenue,  Broadway,  Main,  North  Main, 
Exchange,  High,  Barton,  Broad,  Miller,  High,  Exchange, 
Broad,  Main,  East  Avenue,  Pawtucket  Avenue,  Grace, 
Pine,  Brown,  West  Avenue  to  Main  Street,  where  the  line 
was  dismissed.  The  formation  of  the  line  was  as  fol- 
lows : 

Chief  of  Police  Perry  and  Deputy  Sheriff  Briggs,  mounted. 

Police  Captain  Rhodes  and  Sergeant  Nickerson,  mounted. 

Platoon  of  mounted  police,   Arthur,    Smith,    Reynolds,    Hand, 

Connell  and  McLoughlin,  under  command  of  Tompkins. 

Chief  Marshal   J.  Milton  Payne. 

Chief  of  Staff  Edgar  K.  Gridley. 

Staff:  Byron  C.  Payne,  James  M.  Bishop,  George  B.  Olney, 
William  Allenson,  George  M.  Thornley,  Thomas  M.  Sweet- 
land,  F.  E.  Tingley,  II.  F.  Lull,  John  S.  Cottrell,  George  O. 
Capron,  Charles  L.  Abbott,  Arthur  G.  Wightman,  E.  P. 
Carpenter,  R.  H.  Kirk,  D.  A  Jillson,  J.  Shartenberg,  L  B. 
Darling,  Jr.,  Herbert  Darling,  Bertram  Horton,  E.B.  Crocker, 
John  F.  Coyle,  Jude  Payne. 

FIRST  DIVISION. 
Reeves'  American  Band,  D.  W.  Reeves,  leader;  35  pieces. 

Marshal,  DAVID  HARLEY. 
Aids,  J.  Shartenberg,  E.  J.  Goward. 

Exhibits  by  the  following  business  houses  :  Providence  Cloth- 
ing Co.,  The  J.  B.  Barnaby  Co.,  Edward  C.  Almy  &  Co., 
Misfit  Clothing  Parlors,  Jerome  Kennedy  &  Co.,  Radikin, 
Cooney  &  Forbes,  F.  W.  Westcott,  New  Idea  Store,  David 
Barley  £  Co.,  Lynd  &  Murphy,  George  C.  Peck,  Leo  J. 
Schletzer  &  Co.,  Pawtucket  Hair  Cloth  Co.,  City  Coal  Co., 
J.  F.  Riley,  T.  Culpan,  J.  T.  Cottrell,  Olney  &  Payne  Bros., 
L.  F.  Tingley,  M.  Greenan,  N.  T.  Cottelle,  William  A. 
Atwell,  City  Sealer,  W.  F.  &  F.  C.  Sayles,  Geo.  E.  Newell, 
Whittaker  &  Smith,  John  W.  Perry,  C.  E.  Thurber,  Paw- 
tucket Warehouses,  Citv  Laundry,  Troy  Steam  and  Rhode 
Island  Laundries,  N.  Bates  &  Son  Union  Pacific  Tea 
Co.,  W.  W.  Morgan,  Henry  C.  McDuff. 

SECOND  DIVISION, 
Marshal,  G.  H.  SPAULDING.     (Mounted.) 

Aids,  (mounted),  W.  W.  Spaulding,  John  Dana,  William  Lee, 
William  Carpenter,  Daniel  Brayton,  John  Devlin,  Edward 
Gurry  and  Hector  Schiller. 

Exhibit  by  M.  Steinert  &  Sons,  Providence, 

BUTCHERS'  AND  MARKETMEN'S  ASSOCIATION. 

J.  F.  Abbott,  marshal ;  Thomas  J.  Lodge,  aid. 

Diminutive  butchers  and  marketmen :  Arthur  Whitney,  C. 
Vaughan,  Charles  Carpenter  and  R.  Vaughan. 

Knights  in  white  tunics,  carrying  cleaver  and  steel.  Their 
names  are:  Edward  Ryan,  of  Lonsdale;  Lewis  Briggs, 
Chicago  Beef  Company,  Pawtucket:  Owen  McNamara, 
David  Morrison,  George  Graham,  of  Pawtucket;  F.  F.  Rob- 
bins,  A.  D.  Ross  &  Co.,  Pawtucket;  H.  f.  Campbell,  C.  A. 
Campbell,  with  his  two  sons,  Ossy  and  George  S. ;  F.  A. 
Abbott,  Pawtucket;  Hugh  J.  Clark,  Pawtucket;  Albert 
Havens,  Pawtucket;  Joseph  Biddewell,  Pawtucket;  J.  R. 
Williams,  Pawtucket;  W.  O.  Phinney,  Pawtucket;  John 
Henry,  Pawtucket;  John  D.  Cox,  Pawtucket  and  Provi- 
dence; H.  F.  Horton. 

MOUNTED  BUTCHERS  AND  MARKETMEN. 

J.  F.  Bannon,  Marshal,  Joseph  Tetro,  Peter  White,  Walter  G. 
Goodale,  A.  Putnam,  Calef  &  Co.,  Lonsdale  :  L.  W.  Sweet, 
Pawtucket;  C.  F.  Spaulding,  Central  Falls;  Henry  Cottrell, 
E.  D.  Horton,  Thomas  E.  Mooney,  Pawtucket. 

Delegation  of  Butchers'  and  Marketmen's  Association  of  Rhode 
Island  in  carriages.  President,  H.  K.  Clark:  Secretary, 
C.  E.  Harris;  Treasurer,  Edwin  Tetlow;  Chief  Marshal, 
Charles  A.  Carpenter;  Executive  Board,  Samuel  Whitely, 
Chairman;  George  Calef,  H.  A.  Sayles  and  Sidney  F. 
Adams. 

Exhibits  by  the  following  business  houses  :  George  W.  Edmunds, 
H.  S.  Johnson,  Emerson  Bros.,  O.  Miclette,  J.  H.  Tingley, 
Dexter  Asylum,  of  Providence,  Bowen  Bro«.,  Horace  Z. 
Baker,  Seekonk  Ice  Co.,  Dispeau,  Russell  &  Co  ,  W.  R. 
Dennis  of  Seekonk,  Deahy  Bros.,  Dawson  &  Co._ 


THE  CENTENARY  CELEBRATION. 


75 


THIRD  DIVISION. 

Marshal,  TIMOTHY  BUTLER. 

Aids,  Edward  and  Daniel  Donovan. 

Exhibits  by  the  following  business  houses:  Standard  Bottling 
Co.,  Timothy  Butler,  What  Cheer  Brewery,  Champion  Soap 
Co.,  Isaac  L.  Goff,  Dr.  Hough's  Medical  Preparations, 
Wheeler  and  Wilson  S.  M.  Co.,  Home  Bleachery  &  Dye 
Works,  Fred  H.  White,  Perry  Oil  Co.,  Combination  Lad- 
der Co.,  George  L.  Walker  &  Co.,  George  L.  Chaflin  & 
Co.,  Chambers,  Calder  &  Co.,  F.  F.  Follett  &  Co.,  Charles 
Kern,  J.  D.  Billington,  O.  H.  Jillson,  Franklin  Dye  House, 
J.  O.  Draper  &  Co  ,  John  D.  Lewis  &  Co.,  Blanding  & 
Blanding,  United  States  Express  Co.,  C.  E.  Thurber,  F. 
Whelden,  Central  Falls  Furniture  Co  ,  F.  N.  Adams  &  Son, 
Pawtucket  Baking  Co.,  F.  A.  Kennedy  &  Co.,  F.  P.  Steere. 

FOURTH  DIVISION. 

Marshal,  HORATIO  A.  BROWN. 

Aids,  Ferdinand  Bray,  George  S.  Tingley,  Charles  and  James 

Allenson. 

Exhibits  by  the  following  business  houses  :  Carpenter  &  Co., 
Flint  &  Co.,  A.  F.  &  F.  Bray,  John  M.  Dean  &  Co.,  Union 
Furniture  Co.,  Bernard  McCaughey  &  Co.,  New  England 
Grocery  &  Tea  Co. ,  Atlantic  Compressed  Yeast  Co. ,  Thomas 
J.  Leonard,  Fleischmann  &  Co.,  Pawtucket  Furniture  Co., 


Chief  Marshal,  WILLIAM  H.  GURNEY. 

Staff— R.  A.  Barber,  chief;  aids,  H.  H.  Sager,  Willis  C.  Baker, 
Daniel  Livingston,  G.  D.  Wilson,  Joseph  Holland,  John 
McGrath,  Patrick  Murphy,  H.  N.  French,  James  P.  Brady, 
Austin  Beaudreau,  Michael  Nolan,  William  E.  Burbank. 

Honorary  Staff— Daniel  A.  Jillson,  J.  Osfield,  Jr.,  John  E. 
Thompson,  Captain  Charles  Rittmann,  Major  Alexander 
Strauss,  Charles  H.  Fuller,  J.  E.  V.  Matthieu,  Thomas  M. 
Sweetland,  George  J.  Fairbrother,  John  Coyle,  John  Cock- 
croft,  John  F.  Riley. 

FIRST  DIVISION. 

Marshal,  HERBERT  O.  TRUE. 

First  Regiment,  Patriarchs  Militant,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  Colonel  E.  A. 

Bezely,  commander. 
Staff  and  Non-Commissioned    Staff — Gen.    Carpenter   of  the 

Fourth  Brigade,  Mass.,  P.  M.,  I.  O.  O.  F.  and  Staff. 
Grand  Canton  William  S.  Johnson,  Providence,   Captain  Lind- 
say Anderson ;  40  members. 

Canton  Attleboro,  48,  Captain  W.  E.  Cook ;  30  members. 
Canton  Providence,  Captain  C,  A.  Brown ;  15  members. 

Canton  Pawtucket,  Captain  H.  M.  Curtis;  25  men. 
Canton  Sowatnset,  Warren,  Captain  D.  W.  Gladding;  35  mem- 
bers. 


THE  RIVER  NORTH  OF  DIVISION  STREET  BRIDGE,  PAW  TUCKET. 


E.  H.  Smith,  Pawtucket  Baking  Co..  Henry  L.  Spencer, 
Wightman  Bros.,  Woodlawn  Co-operative  Society,  Peter 
Lennon,  Francis  Duffy,  E.  W.  Shippee,  Kennedy,  Gough  & 
Murray,  F.  W.  Marlin  &  Co. 


SECRET  AND  Civic  SOCIETIES. 

The  line  of  Societies  which  participated  in  the  after- 
noon parade  was  ready  to  move  shortly  after  2.30  p.  M., 
the  hour  announced.  The  route  was  similar  to  that 
traversed  by  the  trades  procession  in  the  morning.  No 
greater  contrast  could  be  imagined  than  was  seen  in  the 
procession  of  yesterday,  with  its  gay  plumes  and  habili- 
ments of  war,  and  this  of  the  societies  of  brotherly  love 
and  peace.  All  nationalities  were  represented  and  it 
was  a  spectacle  which  will  long  be  remembered.  The 
line  was  formed  as  follows  : 

Platoon  of  police,  mounted,  undercommand  of  officer  Tompkins. 
Reeves'  American  Band,  D   W.  Reeves  leader,  35  musicians. 


Canton   Cohannet,   69,   Taunton,    Captain  J.   W.    Strange;  30 
members. 

Enterprise  Lodge,  No.  22,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  Noble  Grand  Louis  C. 
Butler;  48  men. 

Superior  Lodge,  No.  35,  Central  Falls,  N.  G.  George  H.  Per- 
kins ;  40  men. 

SECOND  DIVISION. 
Marshal,  H.  G.  DUBY. 

Aid,  David  Fraser. 

Scottish  Clans,  A.  Fullerton,   Marshal;  W.   Ferguson  and   R. 
Knox,  aids. 

W.  C.  Purdie,  D.  McLean,  D.  McCaffrey  and  W.  Jeffrey,  pipers, 
Boston. 

Royal  Grand  Officers  of  Rhode  Island  and  Massachusetts. 

Boston  Caledonian  Club;  50  clansmen. 

Clan  McKenzie,  Boston  ;  30  clansmen. 

Clan  McGregor.  Quincy,  Mass. ;  40  clansmen. 

Clan  Mackintosh,  Cambridge,  Mass.;  12  clansmen. 

Clan  Cameron,  East  Boston  ;   15  clansmen. 

Clan  Campbell,  Chelsea,  Mass.  ;  15  clansmen. 

Clan  McKinnon,  Woburn,  Mass. ;   20  clansmen. 

Clan  Farquharson,  South  Boston;  30  clansmen. 

Clan  Stewart,  Somerville,  Mass. ;   20  clansmen. 

Clan  Fraser,  Pawtucket;  50  clansmen. 


76 


THE  COTTON  CENTENNIAL. 


Pawtucket  City  Band,  W.  Christian,  leader;  24  pieces. 
Temple  of  Honor :   Grand   Templar  Robinson,  Grand  Record 
Johnson,   Grand   Vice  Templar  Thayer,  Grand  Treasurer 
Sherman,   Past  Grand   Templars   Davis,   Carter,    Lassell, 
Smith. 

Nonpareil  Temple,  Pawtucket;  40  men. 

Twilight  Temple,  Central  Falls;  40  men. 

The  Continental  Band,  Providence,  W.  A.  King,  leader;  8  pieces. 

Order  of  United  American  Mechanics. 
Narragansett  Council,  No.  2,  Providence;  60  men. 

Hope  Council,  No.  i,  Westerly;   12  men. 
Ironside  Council,  No.  4,  Pawtucket;  50  men. 

THIRD  DIVISION. 

Marshal,  LAWRENCE  HAYES. 
Aids,  G.  B.  Sunderland,  Joseph  E.  Holland. 

Conant  Thread   Company   Brass  Band,  J.   McNiff,   leader;    27 

pieces. 

Uniform  Rank,  Sir  Knights  Sons  of  St.  George,  of  Fall  River, 
Mass. ;  with  staff. 

Samuel  Slater,  No.  185,  of  Pawtucket;  100  persons. 
Brittania  Lodge,  No.  196,  of  Lonsdale;   150  members. 

Peabody  Lodge,  No.  184,  of  Olneyville;  75  men. 

Mayflower  Lodge,  No.  209,  of  Wanskuck;   12  members. 

Edward  Harris  Lodge,  No    183,  of  Woonsocket;  70  members. 

Beaconsfield  Lodge,  No.  186,  of  Providence;   100  members. 

William  Blackstone  Lodge,  No.  321,  of  Ashton ;  40  members. 

John  Bright  Lodge,  No.  296,  of  Providence:   20  members. 
Abraham  Lincoln  Lodge,  No.  277,  of  Central  Falls;  :oo  mem- 
bers. 

What  Cheer  Lodge,  No.  298,  of  Olneyville;  30  members. 
Ashton  Cornet  Band,  Ellis  Hibbert,  leader;  22  pieces. 

Deutche  Order  Harugari. 

Members  of  Theodore  Koerner  Lodge,  of  Pawtucket,  accompany- 
ing guests  from  Germania  Lodge  and  Cheruska  Lodge; 
150  persons. 

Guests  :  The  Frohsinn  Society,  of  Attleboro,  and  Diony's  Lodge 
of  Attleboro. 

Members  of  Grand  Lodge,  D.  of  H.,  in  carriages. 

Order  of  Alfredians. 
James  Greenhalgh,  commander  of  brigade  No.  4,  Marshal. 

Aid,  Joseph  Holland. 

Guests  from  Brigade  No.  5,  thirteen  in  number,  of  Connecticut. 
Members  of  brigades  from  Providence,  and  entertaining  mem- 
bers of  the  Pawtucket  Brigade;  250  persons. 


FOURTH  DIVISION. 
Marshal,  J.  H.  MOONEY. 

National  Band,  30  pieces,  T.  W.  Hedley,  leader. 
Conclave  No.  28,  K.  S.  F.,  of  Providence;  66  men. 

Carriages  containing  Sir  Knights. 
Conclave  Olneyville,  No  30,  K.  S.  F. ;  40  men. 

Court  What  Cheer,  No.  6,011  ;  30  men. 

Central  Falls  Drum  Band,  E.  Kelly,  leader;   16  pieces. 

Court  Flower  of  Dexter,  No.  7.687,  of  Central  Falls:  60  men. 

Court  Love  and  Truth,  No.  6,077.  A.  O.  F. ;  40  men. 

Court  City  of  Pawtucket,  No.  7,384;  60  men. 

Court  Fidelity,  6,626;  30  men. 

Court  Flower  of  Blackstone,  6,397  i  3§  men. 

Mount  Hope  Flute  and  Drum  Band  ;   16  pieces. 

Court  Hope,  Providence,  7,473;  60  men. 

Court  Philip  Allen,  7,742  ;  50  men. 

Court  Washington,  7,481,  Eas>t  Providence;  40  men. 

Court  Mt.  Carmel,  7,651,  Manville;  75  men. 

Court  Thomas  W.  Dorr,  7,845  ;  50  men. 

R.  I.  Fife  and  Drum  Band;  6  pieces. 

Court  Elmwood,  7,867;  So  men. 

FIFTH   DIVISION. 
Marshal,  EDWARD  McCAUGHEY. 

Aids,  Patrick  J.   McCrory,  John  McGrath,  James  P.  Brady. 

Greenville  Cornet  Band  ;  18  pieces. 

St.  Mary's  T.  A.  B.  Society;  35  men. 

Sacred  Heart  T.  A.  B.  Society;  41  men,  2  musicians. 

St.  Joseph's  T   A.  B.  Society ;  45  men. 

Young  Irelanders'  Association  ;  200  men. 

Irish  National  Foresters;  75  men. 

SIXTH  DIVISION. 
Marshal,  ANDRE  BLANCHARD. 

Merriville  Band  of  North  Providence,  O.  Demers,  leader. 

L'Union  St  Jean  Baptiste  of  Pawtucket;  59  men. 
Sons  of  L'Union  St.  Jean  Baptiste  Society;  66  boys. 

Cercle  Jacques  Cartier,  Central  Falls;  50  men. 

Continental  Band,  Providence,  J.  E.  Thompson,  leader;  12  pieces. 

St.  Jean  Baptiste  Society,  Providence;  50  men. 

Society  St.  Jean  Baptiste,  Central  Falls;  90  men. 

Chariot   of  allegory,   drawn   by    Henri  Topier,  Joseph   Masse, 

Louis  Manard,  William  Jette. 

Providence  Band,  G.  Caponi,  leader;  20  pieces. 
Societe  Italiana  Bersaglieri  of  Providence;  65  men. 


NORTH  MAIN  STREET,  FROM  THE  SQUARE,  PAWTUCKET. 


OlflPTCR  VI. 


THE  CENTENARY  CELEBRATION. 

(CONTINUED.) 

FOURTH  DAY:  FIREMEN'S  DAY— TRIAL  OF  VETERAN  AND  ACTIVE  FIRE  ENGINES— EXHIBITORS'  BANQUET— FIFTH  DAY:  PAW- 
TUCKET  BOAT  CLUB  RKGATTA— BICYCLE  RACES — TROTTING  MATCHES  AT  THE  PARK  OF  THE  PAWTUCKET  DRIVING 
ASSOCIATION — KING  KOTTON  KARNIVAL — SATURDAY  :  DEDICATION  OF  THE  COI.LYER  MONUMENT. 


HENRY   E.   TIEPKE, 

CHAIRMAN    OF    CENTENARY  CELEBRATION    COMMITTEE. 

FIREMEN'S    DAY. 

A  parade  and  muster  in  which  the  veteran  and  active 
firemen  participate,  is  always  an  attractive  feature  in  the 
vicinity  of  Pawtucket,  for  it  and  its  neighboring  city  of 
Providence  have  kept  up  the  interest  in  fire  matters  by 
active  organization,  a  good  fire  department,  and  the  pos- 
session of  the  best  machines  in  the  market.  Firemen's 
day,  therefore,  was  an  attraction  to  members  of  veteran 
and  active  companies  all  over  New  England,  and  the 
interest  was  increased  by  the  presence  of  fire  laddies  and 
their  friends  from  many  distant  points.  Some  of  the 
firemen  had  sent  their  favorite  "tub"  the  day  before, 
and  on  arrival  found  it  in  the  hands  of  the  Veteran 
Association.  The  feature  of  the  day  was  early  manifest 


in  the  red  shirts  and  fire  hats  of  the  men,  and  careful 
arrangements  had  been  made  by  Chief  Marshal  Fair- 
brother,  who  was  enabled  to  start  the  parade  very  near 
to  the  appointed  hour.  About  u  A.M.  the  line  moved 
in  the  following  order  : 

Chief  of  Police  Oliver  H.  Perry. 

Deputy  Sheriffs  Briggs  and  Rogers,  Captain  Eugene  Rhodes, 
Sergeant  Nickerson. 

Platoon  of  mounted  police,  commanded  by  Officer  Tompkins. 
Chief  Marshal,  GEORGE  J.  FAIRBROTHER. 
Chief  of  Staff,  Benjamin  F.  Davis. 

Aids    to    Chitf  Marshal:     Samuel  Jackson,  Joseph  Osfield, 
Jr.,   Thomas   M.    Sweetland,    C.   E.   Thurher,   Thomas 
Martin,  J.  H.  Byrnes,  Harry  Cheek,  J.  F.  Riley,  John  H. 
Davis,  C.  H.  Baker. 
Reeves'  American  Band,  D.  W.  Reeves,  leader;  35  pieces. 

Line  of  Carriages. 

First  Carriage:  President  Olney  Arnold  of  the  Pawtucket 
Veteran  Firemen's  Association,  Chief  Engineer  George 
A.  Steere  of  Providence,  Chief  Engineer  Frederick  Macy 
of  New  Bedford,  Ex-Mayor  Goodwin  of  Pawtucket 
Second  Carriage:  His  Excellency  Governor  Davis,  and 
Colonels  J.  Howard  Smith,  P.  E.  Hayes  and  Von  Gotts- 
chalk,  A.  D.  C.  of  His  Excellency's  personal  staff. 
Third  Carriage:  Colonels  Thomas  J.  Peirce  and  William 
J.  Nichols,  A.  D.  C  ,  of  His  Excellency  Governor  Davis' 
personal  staff,  and  Superintendent  of  Pawtucket  Water 
Works  Edwin  Darling. 

Fourth  carriage  :  Charles  R.  Bucklin,  City  Auditor  of  Paw- 
tucket; T.  Blanchard  of  Providence;  K.  B.  Nye,  Chief 
Engineer  of  Attleboro. 

Carriage  containing  Colonel  A.  C.  Eddy  of  the  American 
Hose  Company,  Philadelphia,  Colonel  Robert  McCIoy, 
ex-Chief  Engineer  of  Ihe  Pawtucket  department;  C.  H. 
Buckley  of  Lynn,  Captain  F.  M.  Bates  of  the  Pawtucket 
veterans. 

FIRST    DIVISION. 

Marshal,  REUBEN  A.  BARBER. 

Pawtucket   Veteran  Firemen's  Association,  Captain  Joshua 

Lothrop;   ico  uniformed  men. 
The  Hay  Cart  Machine;  100  un-uniformed  members. 

Pleasant  View  Drum  Corps;  15  pieces. 
Lowell    Veteran    Firemen's   Association,  Foreman    George    F. 

Salmon;  So  men.     Tom  Curtis  as  "  Mose." 

Deluge  Machine,  of  Pawtucket,  to  be  used  by  Lowell  Company 
at  Camp  Burnside. 

Two  carriages  containing  guests. 
Boston  Cadet  Flute,  Drum  and  Bugle  Corps,  Thomas  J.  Ryan, 

leader;   25  pieces. 
Charlestown    Veteran    Firemen's  Association,   160  men  on  the 

ropes  and  100  men  in  citizens'  dress. 
The  Torrent  Fire  Ermine,  built  by  Jeffers  in  1841,  for  the  city  of 

Brooklyn,  called  "  The  Veteran." 
American  Drum,  Fife  and  Bugle  Corp*  of  Boston  A.  T.  Weintz, 

leader;  30  pieces. 
Roxbury  Veteran  Firemen's  Association;    100  men  in   uniform 

and  25  citizens. 

Tremont  Engine,  No.  7,  built  by  Ilunneman    in  iS.)2,  and  calk-d 
the  "  Roxbury  Veteran." 

Carriages  containing  guests. 


78 


THE  COTTON   CENTENNIAL 


JOHN  BRIERLY, 

CHIEF    ENGINEER    OF    PAWTUCKET    FIRE    DEPARTMENT. 

SECOND  DIVISION 

Marshal,  FRED  A.  PATT. 

Aids,  Thomas  M.  Sweetland,  ].  H.  Byrnes. 

Four  axemen,  in  red  shirts. 
National  Band,  T.  W.  Hedly,  leader;  35  pieces. 
Providence  Veteran  Firemen's  Association,  Edward   W.  Hall, 
President;  75  men  in  first  division,  So  uniformed  men  in 
second  division. 

Gaspee  Engine,  belonging  to  Providence  Veteran  Firemen's 
Association. 

Six  carriages  containing  officers  and  aged  veterans  of  Providence 
Veteran  Firemen's  Association. 

Alpha  Drum  Corps,  Thomas  Giles,  leader;  25  pieces. 
Boston  Veteran  Firemen's  Association,  J.  Stover  Jacobs,  captain; 
200  men. 

Engine  "Boston,"  built  by  Hunneman. 

First  Regiment  Band  Drum  Corps,  Handel  Campbell,  leader; 
25  pieces. 

Barnecoat  Veteran  Association,  Boston;   155  men. 

National  Drum  Corps,  Beverly,  Mass.,  A.  Williams,  leader;  14 
pieces. 

Peabody  Veteran  Firemen's  Association;  70  men. 
Engine  "Peabody,"  formerly  called  "Torrent,"  built  by  Hunne- 
man. 

Carriage  containing  Vice  President  B.  B.  Humphrey,  Treas- 
urer P.  L.  Winchester,  Secretary  W.  P.  Wilkinson  and 
George  Stevens.  Peabody  V.  F.  A. 

Carriage  containing  J.  M.  Benson,  C.   H.  Porter,  J.  O.  Buxton 
and  C-  K.  Mallard,  Peabody  V.  F.  A. 
Holbrook  Drum  Corps,  W.  A.  Cote,  leader;  6  pieces. 
Brockton  Veteran  Firemen's  Association;  70  men. 

Engine  "  Washington  No.  2." 

Hancock  Engine  Company,  No.  i,  Brockton,  100  men,  with 
engine  "  Hancock." 

Somerville  Fife,  Drum  and  Bugle  Corps,  Ed.  Frazier,  leader; 
15  pieces. 

Wakefield  (Mass.)  Veteran  Firemen's  Association,  loomen  with 
machine  "Yale." 

Two  carriages  containing  officers  and  invited  guests  of  Wake- 
field  Veteran  Firemen's  Association. 

THIRD  DIVISION. 
Marshal,  J.  MILTON  PAYNE. 

Aid,  Arthur  Horton. 

Stone's  Continental  Band, G.  A.  Stone,  leader;  29  musicians. 
Watchemoket   Fire   Engine   Company  of  East  Providence,   57 
men  drawing  hand  engine  Watchemoket,  a  Jeffers  machine. 
Six  carriages  containing  officers  and  invited   guests  of  Watch- 
emoket Fire  Engine  Company. 

Hancock  Fire  Association  of  New  Bedford,  41  men  ;  with  engine 
"  Hancock,"  built  by  Hunneman. 

Carriage  containing  ex-Chief  A.  C.  Moody,  Frank  B.  Drown 
and  M.  F.  Moody,  of  Lynn,  Hiram  Spearing,  Pawtucket. 


Carriage  containing  ex-Mayor  Frederic  Clark  Sayles,  City  Clerk 
Sibley,  City  Treasurer  George  W.  Newell  and  City  Solic- 
itor Thomas  P.  Barnefield. 

Carriage  containing  Lewis  Fairbrother  and  Gideon  L.  Spencer. 
Carriage  containing  Edmund  S.  Mason,  Proctor  C.  Lull,  Charles 

M.  Arnold  and  Samuel  E.   Young. 
Carriage  containing   Judges    C.     Fred   Crawford,  Chief  Abner 

Coleman.ofTaunton,  and  Chief  H.  W.  Cozzens  ofNewport. 
Carriage  containing  Judges  Stillman  White,  George  Worrall  and 

Messrs.  C.  A.  Westcottand  H.  B.  Matteson. 

Park's  Continental  Band,  20  pieces,  J.  F.  Park,  leader. 
Rough  and  Ready  Engine  Company,  No.  2,  of  Olneyville,  80 

men,  drawing  steamer  Nameaug,  a  Jeffers  machine" 
Carriage  containing  Chief  Patt  of  Central  Falls  and  Messrs.  J. 

Sewell  Read,  Jay  Neill  and  Charles  E.  Bullock. 
Carriage  containing  David  J.  White,  Albert  C.  White,  S.  F. 

White  and  B.  C.  Bird. 

Phenix  Cornet  Band,  F.  S.  Arnold,  leader;  20  musicians. 
Phenix  Fire  Department,  Phenix,  R.  I. ;  25  men. 

Foxboro  Steamer  Company,  No.  I ;  20  men. 
Bristol  Fife  and  Drum  Corps,  E.  P.  Brownell,  Jr.,  leader;    18 

musicians. 

Hydraulion  Hose  Company,  No.  I,  of  Bristol;  42  men,  drawing 

Hydraulion  Engine  No.  i 

Livingston's  Band,  J.  H.  Scholes,  leader;   ^musicians. 
Columbia  Hose  Company,  No.  4,  East  Greenwich,  R.  I  ;    40 

men. 

Narragansett  Band,  Arthur  Barrows,  leader;    12  musicians. 
Narragansett  Engine  Company,  No.  2,  Riverside;  So  men  with 

Jeffers  machine,  formerly  the  Hercules,  No.  7,  of  Newport. 
Union  Cornet   Band,    Q^iidneck,    R.   I.,    John    Power,  leader; 

22  pieces. 

River  Point  Fire  Department. 

Pioneer  Company,  No.  i ;  20  men. 

Alert  Company,  No.  2;  20  men. 

Active  Company,  No.  3;  20  men. 

Carriage  containing  invited  guests. 

FOURTH  DIVISION. 

Marshal,  REUBEN  H.   GLADDING. 

Aids,  Harry  Cheek,  Oren  S.  Horton. 

Pawtucket  Fire  Department,  John  Brierly,  chief  engineer;  James 
H.   Easton,   first    assistant    engineer;    George   McDonald, 
second  assistant  engineer,  in  carriage  of  Chief  Brierly. 
Steamer  Rhode  Island,  No.   i,  James  Carr,  driver. 

Hook  and  Ladder  Company,  No.  i,  10  men  ;  Frank  A.  Newton, 
foreman. 

Hook  and  Ladder  Truck,  No.  i ;  Bernard  Riley,  driver. 
Chemical   Hose   Company,  No.    i ,  10  men ;  Lewis   F.  Butler, 
foreman. 

Chemical  Hose  Carriage,  No.  i. 
Chemical  Hose  Company,  No.  2,  10  men. 

Chemical  Hose  Carriage,  No.  2. 
Steamer  No.  2,  Rough  and  Ready. 

Hook  and  Ladder  Truck,  No.  3. 

Hose  Company,  No.  3,  10  men;  Preston  A.  Chase,  foreman. 
Delegation  of  Woonsocket  firemen  in  blue  uniforms. 

Hose  Carriage  No.  3. 
Hose  Company,  No.  4,  9  men  ;  George  E.  Wilson,  foreman. 

Hose  Carriage  No.  4 

Hook   and    Ladder  Truck   Company,   No.    2,    8   men;   A.    B. 
McMillan,  foreman. 

Hook  and  Ladder  Truck. 
Steamer  No.  3,  Monitor. 

The  parade  was  through  Park  Plac.e,  Main,  School, 
Prospect,  Pond,  Summit,  Cottage.  Kossuth,  Broadway, 
Exchange,  High,  Barton  and  Dexter  to  the  dining  tent. 
There  was  no  ceremony,  but  at  12.45,  after  a'l  had  been 
served,  the  line  was  reformed  and  proceeded  to  Camp 
Burnside,  where  the  trial  took  place.  This  was  the 
event  of  the  day.  and  a  crowd  was  present  greater  than 
had  been  seen  in  Pawtucket  under  the  auspices  of  the 
firemen.  Thirteen  companies  drew  for  positions,  eight 
veteran  and  five  active.  The  prizes  were  in  -two  classes 


THE  CENTENARY  CELEBRATION. 


79 


—  veteran  and  active — those  in  the  veteran  class  being 
$150,  $100  and  $^o,  and  in  the  active  $100,  $75  and 
$50.  The  judges  were  :  Chief  Engineer  Abner  Cole- 
man,  of  Taunton  ;  Chief  Engineer  George  Worrall,  of 
Woonsocket ;  Chief  Engineer  H.  W.  Cozzens,  of  New- 
port ;  Stillman  White,  of  Providence,  and  C.  Fred 
Crawford,  of  Central  Falls.  General  Arnold  L.  Bur- 
dick,  of  Newport,  timed  the  engines.  The  drawing  for 
positions  resulted  as  follows  :  • 

VETERAN. — i,  Wakefield  ;  2,  Brockton;  3,  Peabody  ; 
4,  Roxbury  ;  5,  Lowell;  6,  Charlestown  ;  7,  Providence; 
8,  Boston. 


VETERAN. 

NAME. 

Charlestown, 

Gaspee, 

Peabody,  .... 

Wakefield, 

Brockton, 

Boston,     . 

Roxbury, 

Lowell, 

ACTIVE. 

NAME. 

Nameaug,  Johnston,    . 
Hancock  No.  i,  Brockton, 
Watchemoket,  East  Providence, 
Hancock  No.  9,  New  Bedford, 
Narragansett,  Riverside, 


DISTANCE. 


1 94  ft.  ID 

iSift.  5 

176ft.  i 

173  ft.  8 

170  ft.  8 

17111.  i 

167  ft.  i 

11711.  7 


-4  in. 


-4  in. 
-2  in. 
-4  in. 
-4in. 
-2  in. 


DISTANCE. 

196ft.  3  in. 
i8oft.  II  in. 
179  ft.  3-8  in. 
ii  1-2  in. 
4  1-2  in 


170  ft. 
169  ft. 


HEAD   OF   PROCESSION,    VETERAN   FIREMEN'S  DAY. 


ACTIVE. — i,  Watchemoket ;  2,  Narragansett ;  3,  Han- 
cock (Brockton)  ;  4,  Johnston  ;  5,  New  Bedford  (Han- 
cock) . 

The  veteran  companies  were  first  at  the  trial,  and  the 
playing  of  each  was  watched  with  eager  interest  by  the 
friends  of  the  fire  laddies.  The  Roxbury  veterans  blew 
out  the  air  chamber  of  their  pet  engine  at  the  first  trial, 
and  the  Gaspees  of  Providence  broke  a  brake  bar.  and 
then  two  more.  The  active  companies  met  with  no 
accidents  to  their  machines.  After  the  trials,  the  judges 
retired  to  the  headquarters  of  the  firemen's  committee, 
and  the  result,  as  decided  officially,  was  announced  as 
follows : 


The  victors  were,  therefore,  from  the  veterans,  the 
Charlestowns,  the  Gaspees  of  Providence,  and  the  Pea- 
bodys  :  from  the  actives,  the  Rough  and  Ready  of  John- 
ston, the  Hancocks  of  Brockton,  and  the  Watchemokets 
of  Providence.  The  prizes,  which  were  in  gold,  were 
presented  to  the  winners  by  Philo  E.  Thayer  of  the 
muster  committee.  The  engine  which  defeated  all  others, 
active  and  veteran,  was  a  Jeffers  machine,  built  40  years 
ago  for  the  Nameaug  Volunteer  Fire  Company  of  New 
London,  Conn.  It  was  afterwards  purchased  by  a  New 
Bedford  company,  then  it  went  to  Putnam,  Conn.,  where 
the  Rough  and  Readys  found  it  abandoned  and  out  of 
repair. 


80 


THE  COTTON  CENTENNIAL. 


ISAAC  GILL, 

CAPTAIN    OF    PAWTUCKET    BOAT    CLUB.      DIRECTOR    OF    THE    REGATTA. 

Thursday  evening,  the  business  men  who  had  contrib- 
uted to  the  success  of  the  industrial  exhibition  were  given 
a  banquet  in  Infantry  Hall.  It  was  nearly  10  o'clock 
when  supper  was  served.  The  stage  had  been  decorated, 
Reeves'  American  Ba4id  orchestra  gave  music  from 
behind  a  bank  of  potted  plants  and  flowers,  and  the 
caterer  was  Cook,  of  Boston.  George  Mabbett,  Esq., 
•presided,  and  after  thanking  the  merchants  for  the 
interest  that  had  been  manifested  in  making  the  exhi- 
bition a  success,  he  introduced  Charles  A.  Lee  as  toast- 
master.  Speeches  were  made  by  Governor  Davis, 
Mayor  Carroll,  Chairman  Tiepke  of  the  council  com- 
mittee, Superintendent  Sherman,  Rev.  J.  J.  Woolley, 
General  Olney  Arnold,  F.  W.  Easton  and  Major  Eugene 
B.  Crocker.  The  speaking  was  largely  congratulatory, 
Governor  Davis  suggesting,  among  other  things,  that  the 
cities  of  Pawtucket  and  Providence  join  in  such  an  indus- 
trial exhibit  every  two  years.  It  was  agreed  by  all  that 
the  display  had  been  very  satisfactory,  and  had  resulted 
in  good  to  the  exhibitors. 


CLOSING  DAY. 

For  the  final  day  of  the  festivities  there  had  been 
arranged  a  regatta  under  the  auspices  of  the  Pawtucket 
Boat  Club,  to  be  participated  in  entirely  by  amateur  oars- 
men. For  the  first  time  in  the  week  the  sun  was 
clouded,  and  the  prospect  for  a  race  was  not  flattering. 
Crowds  gathered  along  the  banks  of  the  river.  Reeves' 
Band  was  stationed  at  Dunnell's  Park,  the  oarsmen  assem- 
bled, the  shells  were  lifted  into  the  water,  and  at  10  A.  M. 
the  gun  was  fired  for  the  boats  in  the  first  race  to  take 
positions.  The  officials  in  charge  of  the  regatta  were  : 
Walter  Simpson,  President  of  the  New  England  Ama- 
teur Rowing  Association,  referee  ;  James  S.  Aborn,  of 
the  Narragansett  Boat  Club,  starter  ;  James  R.  Doyle, 
of  the  Crescent  Boat  Club  of  Boston,  J.  Frank  Facey,  of 
the  Riverside  Boat  Club  of  Cambridge,  Mass.,  judges  at 
the  turn  ;  VVillard  A.  Wiun,  Secretary  of  the  N.  E.  A. 
R.  A-,  and  Seth  Sprague  of  the  Neponset  Boat  Club, 


judges  at  the  finish  ;  Fred  W.  Dexter  and  J.  L.  Wheaton, 
Jr.,  time-keepers.  The  first  six  races  were  trial  heats. 
The  first  was  for  single  row-boats.  There  were  six 
entries,  and  the  race  was  won  in  1 1  1433  minutes  by- 
John  Fox.  The  prize  was  a  water  pitcher,  with  gold- 
lined  goblet.  The  second  was  for  intermediate  sculls,  a 
distance  of  one  mile,  and  was  won  by  Eugene  Buckley, 
of  Cambridge,  against  three  competitors,  in  7  :i  i  J.  The 
third  was  for  a  distance,  of  one  mile  in  single  sculls,  and 
was  won  by  A.  A.  Fratcs,  of  Portland,  Me.,  in  6  -.56$, 
against  five  competitors.  The  fourth  was  for  junior 
singles,  one  mile;  H.  A.  Adams,  of  Worcester,  came  in 
first,  in  7:04!-;  four  entries.  Thomas  E.  Qiiinn,  of 
Portland,  Me.,  won  the  fifth  heat,  which  was  a  junior 
single,  one  mile,  in  7  107,  against  four  competitors.  The 
sixth  race,  a  senior  single,  two  miles,  was  won  by  Wil- 
liam Caflrey,  of  Lawrence,  Mass.,  in  13:48!,  against 
three  competitors. 

The  seventh  was  a  final  heat  between  Buckley  and 
Frates,  and  was  the  exciting  race  of  the  day.  Buckley 
was  the  winner,  in  14  103! .  The  Pr'ze  was  a  gold  watch. 

The  eighth  race,  a  final  heat  between  winners  in  the 
preliminary  heats,  was  won  in  15  103,  by  A.  C.  Dowling, 
of  Boston,  who  received  an  elegant  gold  watch  as  a  prize. 
Distance,  two  miles. 

The  ninth  race  was  a  quarter-mile  dash,  and  was  won 
by  Joseph  Bergin,  of  Cambridge,  Mass.,  in  i  =24;  the 
prize  being  a  pair  of  field  glasses. 

The  tenth  race  was  for  working  boats,  for  which  three 
crews  entered.  The  distance  was  two  miles,  and  the 
race  was  won  by  a  crew  from  the  Bradford  Boat  Club,  of 
Cambridge,  Mass.;  time,  14:18.  The  prize  was  four 
solid  silver  goblets. 

The  eleventh  race  was  for  working  boats,  juniors,  dis- 
tance two  miles,  and  was  won  by  the  Narragansett  Boat 
Club,  of  Providence,  in  13  129.  The  prize  was  four  solid 
silver  goblets. 

The  twelfth  race  was  for  double  working  boats. 
There  were  four  entries.  The  winners  were  Woodbury 
and  Crowell,  who  each  received  a  cathedral  clock.  The 
time  was  10  :i5- 

In  addition  to  the  prizes,  a  silk  banner  was  given  to 
each  winning  crew,  and  each  winner  in  the  singles. 

In  the  afternoon,  the  bicycle  and  horse  races  took  place 
at  the  track  of  the  Pawtucket  Driving  Association. 
There  was  a  three  mile  bicycle  race,  a  half-mile 
boys'  race,  and  a  single  mile  race  of  local  riders. 
The  three  mile  race  was  won  by  W.  Mont  Scott ;  prize, 
a  gold  medal.  The  boys'  half-mile  race  was  won  by 
William  F.  Almy;  prize,  a  silver  watch  ;  and  the  mile 
race  was  won  by  W.  Burt  Gardner  ;  prize,  a  gold  medal. 

The  horse  races  followed.  There  were  three  races,  a 
free-for-all,  with  a  divided  purse  of  $500  ;  a  2  =40  class, 
with  a  divided  purse  of  $250,  and  a  running  race,  with  a 
divided  purse  of  $100.  The  first  race  was  won  by  Olaf, 
blk.  g.,  owned  by  Highland  Stock  Farm.  In  the  2  :4O 
class  there  were  five  entries,  and  the  race  was  won  by 
Anarchis,  owned  by  D.  W.  Caton.  The  running  race 
was  won  by  Esterbok,  owned  by  W.  A.  Peck,  Prov- 
idence. The  judges  of  the  races  were  Roger  F.  Cap- 
well,  John  W,  Cass  and  John  H.  Collingwood, 


THE  CENTENARY  CELEBRATION. 


81 


THE  COTTON  CARNIVAL. 

The  closing  exercises  of  the  week,  as  far  as  the  formal 
order  was  concerned,  consisted  of  the  parade  of  King 
Kotton  in  a  grand  carnival,  followed  by  a  ball.  This 
was  carried  out  in  the  evening  very  successfully,  though 
the  paraders  in  the  carnival  were  not  as  numerous  as 
would  have  been  the  case  had  the  weather  been  more  pro- 
pitious. Postponements,  however,  were  not  in  order  at 
this  centenary  exhibition,  and  the  carnival  took  place 
amidst  the  blowing  of  horns  and  general  jollity.  The 
line  was  formed  on  Pine  Street  and  vicinity,  and  marched 
substantially  in  the  order  arranged.  The  troop  of  bicy- 
clists, who  were  to  serve  as  escort  to  the  chief  marshal, 
was  materially  diminished  on  account  of  the  condition  of 
the  streets.  The  procession  moved  in  the  following 
order : 

Officers  Arthur  and  McGlone,  mounted. 

Troop  of  bicyclists.  H.  L.  Spencer  in  the  costume  of  a  knight, 
Marshal.  Aid,  H.  E.  Rathbun,  representing  Uncle  Sam; 
Chas.  A.  Gloyd,  clown;  Arthur  Hollingworth,  Mexican; 
Armand  Gobeille,  page;  Willie  Dawson,  lady;  John  Smith, 
page;  John  B.  and  William  Nicholson,  princes;  Charles 
Deacon,  red  coat  and  cotton  pants;  H.  E.  Mabbettand  Louis 
Slocum,  tandem,  the  former  dressed  as  a  lady,  the  latter 
wearing  armor  and  silver  helmet;  William  Leonard,  deco- 
rated arch  over  wheel  with  a  picture  of  Slater  in  the  arch  ; 
Andrew  Meiklejohn,  white  costume  and  cotton  arch;  Alex. 
Meiklejohn.  Uncle  Sam  with  cotton  decorations  on  wheel ; 
Charles  Fuller,  Frank  E.Tingley,  W.  H.  Dawson,  L.  L.  Lull, 
Elijah  I'hinney,  torches  on  their  wheels;  Joseph  Wright, 
princess;  S.  Hyndman  and  C.  Carvell,  heralds,  dressed  as 
knights. 

Prince  Carnival,  Major  Eugene  B.  Crocker,  dressed  in  an  elegant 
costume  of  a  prince,  the  shoulder  cape  being  of  red  silk  with 
stripes  of  colored  ribbons. 

Field  Marshal,  Benjamin  F.  Davis. 

Admiral,  Colonel  W.  Howard   Walker. 

Chief  of  Personal  Staff,  Bertrand  J.  Horton. 

Personal  Staff,  J.  Milton  Payne,  George  B.  Olney,  Samuel  Jack- 
son, Henry  H.  Sager,  William  J.  Mahoney,  Alexander 
Strauss,  John  Coyle  John  F.  Clark,  Edgar  K.  Gridley,  all 
mounted  and  dressed  in  costumes  of  courtiers. 

Reeves'  Band,  35  musicians. 

Chief  of  the  Honorary  Staff,  Colonel  James  W.  Larkin. 
Honorary  Staff,  consisting  of   the  Royalty    of  the  World  and 
Natives  of  the  Antipodes.      Dennis  A.  McElroy,  chief  of 
staff;  W.   H.   Boardman,  N.   L.   Upham,   H.  Cheek,  senior, 


CHARLES  H.  BUTTS, 

GENERAL    FLOOR    DIRECTOR    AT    CARNIVAL    BALL. 


MAJ.  EUGENE  B.  CROCKER, 

CHAIRMAN. OF    COMMITTEE    ON     KINO    COTTON    CARNIVAL. 

D.  Hamilton,  J.  S.  Brazeau,  George  Dewsnap,  H.  O.  True, 
J.  H.  Crossley,  C.  E.  Thurber,  T.  M.  Sweetland,  C.  E. 
Rupert,  W.  F.  A.  Gillan  and  George  C.  Arnold. 

King  Kotton  on  his  throne,  represented  by  Charles  Rittman, 
with  two  pages  at  his  ieet.  The  chariot  of  the  King  was 
drawn  by  six  horses,  wearing  blankets  of  cotton,  driven  by 
Patrick  Butler.  The  chariot  was  elegantly  decorated.  On 
each  of  four  corner  seats  sat  four  ladies  magnificently  dressed 
representing  queens  from  the  four  points  of  the  compass, 
who  had  become  subject  to  King  Cotton.  The  chariot  of 
the  King  was  attended  in  court  costume  by  Harry  Gould, 
James  Burgess,  W.  P.  Mitchell,  C.  E.  Loomis,  J.  Allen,  L. 
A.  Johnson,  A.  Jenks  and  Harry  Morris. 

Uncle  Sam,  preceding  the  Goddess  of  Liberty,  was  represented 
by  Albert  E.  Sherman,  6  feet  2  inches  tall. 

Chariot  of  the  Goddess  of  Liberty,  drawn  by  four  horses  draped 
with  the  stars  and  stripes.  On  the  front  was  the  tri-colorof 
the  United  States  and  a  border  of  American  flags.  The 
Goddess  of  Liberty  was  represented  by  Miss  Florence  Baker, 
and  her  throne  was  surrounded  by  representatives  of  the 
four  branches  of  the  service  :  navy,  infantry,  cavalry  and 
artillery,  in  regulation  uniform.  The  body  guard  consisted 
of  six  sailors  on  each  side  on  foot,  lighting  colored  fire,  and 
six  soldiers  with  torches  to  enlighten  the  world. 

Lord  High  Executioner,  Charles  L.  Abbott,  mounted  and  in  the 
costume  of  a  Lord. 

Butchers  in  blue  frocks,  twenty  in  all. 
Two  steers  of  the  Prince  and  Princess  of  Butchers. 

CONGRESS  OF  NATIONS. 

Marshal,  REUBEN  A.  BARBER,  mounted. 

Aid,  J.  Milton  Payne,  mounted. 

Chinese  house  on  a  float,  conveying  the  "  Three  Little  Maids 
from  School."  The  house  was  decorated  with  fans,  panels, 
Turkish  rugs  and  lanterns,  while  butterflies  and  bunting 
were  hung  over  the  light  roof. 

GERMANY. — Three  large  floats.  The  first  was  a  model  of  the 
first  brewery  in  America,  represented  as  belonging  to  Wil- 
liam Penn,  with  log  cabin  beside  it,  located  down  the  Del- 
aware. The  model  was  built  and  sent  out  to  Pawtucket  by 
H.  J.  &  J.  N.  Molter  of  the  What  Cheer  Lager  Beer  Brewery 
of  Cranston.  It  was  designed  by  Henry  T.  Molter.  The 
float  on  which  it  was  raised  was  24  feet  long,  and  drawn  by 
six  horses  driven  by  George  C.  Patterson.  The  next  was  a 
tremendous  cask,  which  would  hold  40,000  gallons.  On 
the  top  of  it  sat  Uncle  Sam  in  full  costume,  King  Gambrinus, 
with  his  crown  on  his  head  and  his  robes  and  sceptre,  and 
with  him  were  two  parsons.  Following  was  an  old  German 
windmill,  "  Alte  Weile  Muhle,"  supposed  to  rejuvenate 
old  women.  Old  women  were  seen  to  go  in  and  come 
out  dancing,  as  young  maidens,  on  the  opposite  side.  The 
floats  were  followed  by  Germans  in  clown  and  miners'  cos- 
tumes. 


82 


THE  COTTON   CENTENNIAL 


GREAT  BRITAIN  AND  COLONIES. — A  large  float,  drawn  by  six 
horses,  containing  Victoria,  Queen  of  England  and  Empress 
of  India,  on  her  throne,  surrounded  by  subjects  from  all 
parts  of  the  world.  The  characters  were  taken  by  members 
of  the  order  of  Alfredians  and  the  representation  was  in 
charge  of  Charles  Dowler,  of  Providence.  These  were  the 
characters:  Queen  Victoria,  Mrs.  Mary  Nerr;  Prince  of 
Wales,  William  Holland;  African  Arab,  Washington  Broad- 
head.  Peasant  girls  in  attendance  on  the  Queen,  Miss 
Emma  Dawson,  Miss  Annie  Lowden.  Miss  Delia  F.  Arnold 
and  Miss  Alice  Ashbourne.  Duke  of  Edinburgh,  Mr.  James 
Kenyon  ;  a  Canadian  gentleman,  George  Fredenborgh ;  a 
Prince  of  India,  J.  W  Greenhalgh  ;  a  British  Guinea  negro, 
Henry  Baker;  a  native  of  Hong  Kong,  Fred  Wilde;  a  Gib- 
raltar native,  Alfred  Chilee;  Australian  bushranger,  George 
Roberts;  the  army  and  navy,  life  guardsman,  George 
Kenyon,  and  man  o'warsman,  John  J.  Kenyon. 

FRANCE.— A  French-Canadian  log  hut,  contributed  by  the 
French-Canadiiins  of  Pawtucket  and  Central  Falls.  It  was 
a  family  scene  intended  to  represent  a  colonist's  hut  in  1780, 
in  Canada.  There  were  some  twenty  persons  in  and  around 
the  hut.  An  old  spinning-wheel  stood  at  the  door,  and  an 
elderly  lady  was  spinning.  At  the  rear  was  a  live  goat  and 
a  group  of  children.  It  was  arranged  by  a  committee  in 
charge  of  J.  B.  Brazeau. 

SCOTLAND. —  The  float  of  the  Scotch  residents  was  entitled 
"  Scotland  by  Music  and  Poetry,"  and  consisted  of  tableaux 
representing  "Robert  Burns  at  the  Plough"  and  "Tarn 
O'Shanter  and  Souter  Johnnie."  The  character  of  Robert 
Burns  was  taken  by  Mr.  John  Ferguson.  He  was  dressed  in 
a  blue  coat,  whice  knee  trousers,  gold  vest  with  lace  ruffles. 
The  second  tableau  represented  the  tavern  scene  in  "  Tarn 
O'Shanter.''  Tarn  O'Shanter  and  his  bosom  crony,  Souter 
Johnnie,  were  seated  by  the  table  in  the  tavern,  drinking 
the  friendly  glass  which  ended  so  disastrously  for  poor  Tarn. 
In  addition,  David  S.  Fraser  and  George  A.  Saunders  in 
Scotch  costume  rode  on  the  float,  singing  Scotch  songs  at 
intervals. 

ITALY. — This  float  represented  Christopher  Columbus'  discovery 
of  America.  This  was  designed  by  the  Italians  of  Paw- 
tucket,  and  Frank  Machetti  was  in  charge  on  this  occasion. 
A  figure  of  America,  a  young  Italian  girl,  sat  upon  the  deck 
of  the  boat,  beautiful,  and  dressed  in  the  American  colors, 
with  a  crown  and  a  sceptre.  The  float  was  decorated  with 
Spanish,  Italian  and  American  colors,  to  show  that  Colum- 
bus was  an  Italian,  that  the  Spanish  treasury  sent  him  upon 
the  expedition  which  resulted  in  the  discovery  of  the  third 
country,  America. 

TRIBES  OF  INDIANS. 

Chief  CHARLES  E.  PIERCE,  Marshal,  mounted. 

Aids,  A.  N.  Cunningham,  Thomas  Dawley,  John  Evans,  Thomas 
King,  John  Powers  and  other  "  big  injuns,"  mounted. 

Tahoma  Tribe,  No.  5,  Improved  Order  of  Red  Men,  Providence, 
in  command  of  Assistant  Chief  Henry  A.  Goodwin ;  16 
braves. 

Watchemoket  Tribe,  I.  O.  R  M.,  East  Providence,  Chief 
Jeremiah  Dornsife;  20  braves. 

Ancient  buggy,  labelled  "Heirloom  of  Samuel  Slater,  1793-1890," 
containing  William  Rhodes  and  H.  H.  Hardy  of  Watch- 
emoket Tribe. 

Float  of  Watchemoket  Tribe,  representing  the  landing  of  Roger 
Williams. 

Tally-ho  coach  of  Watchemoket  Tribe,  with  12  scouts,  represent- 
ing famous  characters  in  border  history. 

Ossamequin  Tribe,  I.  O.  R.  M.,  Pawtucket,  Chief  Warren  Fales; 
16  braves; 

Pettaconsett  Tribe,  I.  O.  R.  M.,  Providence,  Chief  James  A 
McKenna;  16  braves. 

Floats  of  Ossamequin  and  Pettaconsett  Tribes,  representing  the 
treaty  between  Samuel  Slater  and  the  Indians. 

King  Philip  Tribe,  No.  i,  I.  O.  R.  M.,  Providence,  Chief  Alfred 
Mowry ;  12  braves. 

Float  of  King  Philip  Tribe,  adorned  with  explanatory  trans- 
parencies, and  representing  the  red  men  of  1632,  and  the 
red  men  of  1890. 

GRAND  ARMY   OF  THE   REPUBLIC. 

Captain  J.  E.  MASON,  Marshal,  mounted. 

Aids,  T.  M.  Sweetland,  C.  E.  Thurber,  mounted. 

Pleasant  View  Drum  Corps,  P.  Kavanagh    Drum  Sergeant;   10 

pieces. 

Tower  Post,  No.  17,  G.  A.  R.,  Pawtucket,  Commander  J.  F. 
Means;  50  comrades. 


The  float  of  Tower  Post  was  designed  to  represent  a  realistic 
picture  of  army  life. 

Decorators'  Brigade,  composed  of  exterior  decorators,  represent- 
ing Hartford,  Springfield,  New  Haven,  Brooklyn  and  New 
York;  Captain  Charles  Griswold,  Musician  J.  Hanson, 
Lieutenant  Oscar  Buchhplz. 

A.  K  Tilton  Camp  Drum  Corps,  H.  Edgar,  Jr.,  leader;  n 
pieces. 

A.  K.  Tilton  Camp,  Sons  of  Veterans,  Pawtucket,  Captain 
James  Mason  ;  75  members. 

The  float  of  Tilton  Camp  represented  the  parade  ground  of  a 
Brigade  of  Rhode  Island  militia. 

At  the  rear  of  the  procession  was  a  detachment  of  Antiques  and 
Horribles,  a  tally-ho  coach  loaded  with  Providence  people 
in  costume,  and  equipages  of  a  miscellaneous  character. 

It  was  1 1  o'clock  before  the  column  was  dismissed  and 
the  grand  ball  was  inaugurated  at  the  great  tent  in 
Dexter  Street.  It  was  estimated  that  nearly  3,000 
persons  were  present  at  the  opening.  Only  those  in 
costumes  were  allowed  to  dance  before  midnight. 
About  one  hundred  and  fifty  couples  were  in  the  grand 
march,  which  was  led  by  floor-director  Charles  H.  Butts, 
followed  by  Prince  Carnival  and  lady,  and  King  Cotton 
and  lady.  Reeves'  band  furnished  the  music,  and  supper 
was  served  after  midnight  by  S.  B.  Havens  &  Company, 
of  Pawtucket.  Governor  Davis  and  staff,  Mayor  Car- 
roll, and  the  members  of  the  city  government,  Chief 
Marshal  General  Olney  Arnold  and  other  distinguished 
guests  were  present.  The  officers  of  the  ball  were 
general  floor  director,  Charles  H.  Butts;  assistant  floor 
directors,  Robert  H.  Harvey,  Eason  L.  Slocum,  Jr., 
Fred  A.  Appleyard,  William  W.  Lindsley,  Lieutenant 
Charles  Gardner,  Lester  W.  Upham. 

During  the  week  there  were  entertainments  of  a  private 
nature,  some  of  them  impromptu,  but  all  equally  enjoy- 
able to  the  participants.  The  guests  of  the  city  and 
visitors  from  other  cities  and  states  were  entertained  at 
the  office  of  the  Mayor,  and  the  hospitality  of  the  city 
was  generously  extended.  The  decorations  were  profuse 
on  all  the  streets  of  the  city,  and  many  of  them  very 
elaborate.  There  was  scarcely  a  house  or  store  on  the 
route  of  the  processions  that  was  not  covered  with  bunt- 
ing or  drapery.  Pictures  of  Samuel  Slater  abounded, 
and  the  beautiful  weather  allowed  the  displays  to  remain 
intact  the  entire  week.  A  list  of  the  decorators  would 
include  almost  a  directory  of  Pawtucket,  so  universally 
was  this  addition  to  the  general  festivity  taken  up  by  the 
citizens.  Arches  twenty-one  feet  high  were  placed  at 
each  end  of  Main  Street  bridge,  at  the  junction  of  Broad 
Street  and  Trinity  Square,  at  the  junction  of  Slater  and 
Harrison  streets,  and  across  Broadway,  at  the  junction 
with  Cottage  Street.  The  entire  front  of  the  Old  Slater 
Mill  was  tastefully  decorated.  On  the  top  was  a  card, 
giving  the  date  of  its  erection,  1793,  and  on  the  right-hand 
side,  over  the  door,  was  hung  an  oil  painting  of  Samuel 
Slater,  set  in  a  gold  frame,  and  on  the  other  side  a  banner 
bearing  this  inscription,  "  Old  Slater  Mill." 


DEDICATION  OF  THE  COLLYER  MONUMENT. 

On  Saturday,  as  a  closing  exercise  in  Centenary  week, 
though  not  a  part  of  the  official  programme,  was  dedi- 
cated the  monument  which  had  been  erected  to  the 
memory  of  Samuel  Smith  Collyer,  for  many  years  chief- 


THE  CENTENARY  CELEBRATION. 


83 


engineer  of  Pawtucket,  and  who  lost  his  life  in  the 
service  of  the  city.  Mr.  Collyer  was  born  in  Pawtucket, 
May  3,  1832,  and  ran  with  the  old  Rough  and  Readys 
when  but  15  years  of  age.  Later  he  was  chosen  captain 
of  this  company,  and  from  this  company  he  was  chosen 
chief-engineer  of  the  North  Providence  Fire  Department 
in  1870,  and  upon  the  consolidation  in  1874,  one  of  the 
first  acts  of  the  new  council,  May  16,  was  his  election  as 
chief-engineer  of  Pawtucket,  which  position  he  held  till 
the  time  of  his  death.  The  circumstances  of  his  death 
were  particularly  sad.  On  the  night  of  July  7,  1884,  there 
was  an  alarm  of  fire,  and  as  the  cart  of  Hose  Company 
No.  i  came  past  the  chief's  house,  it  stopped  for  him  to 
get  on.  Instead  of  standing  on  the  rail  of  the  reel, 
Chief  Collyer  climbed  over  to  the  seat  with  the  driver. 
As  the  wagon  went  up  from  Mineral  Spring  Avenue  to 
Lonsdale  Avenue,  in  making  the  turn  into  Lonsdale 
Avenue,  there  being  no  curbing,  the  wagon  struck  a 
boundstone  twelve  inches  high,  and  the  cart  was  over- 
turned. Chief  Collyer  was  sitting  on  the  side  which 
placed  him  directly  under  the  wagon,  and  all  of  his  ribs 
were  broken.  There  were  several  others  on  the  cart,  only 
one  of  them  besides  Chief  Collyer  being  injured.  Chief 
Collyer  lingered  for  twenty  days,  when  death  came  to  his 
relief. 

Mr.  Collyer  was  held  in  great  respect  by  the  citizens 
of  Pawtucket.  He  was  so  good  a  fireman  that,  when, 
for  political  or  personal  reasons,  there  was  opposition  to 


his  further  confirmation  as  chief  of  the  department,  one 
of  the  leading  insurance  officials,  representing  hundreds 
of  thousands  of  dollars  in  fire  risks  in  Pawtucket, 
appealed  in  person  to  one  of  the  members  of  the  council, 
advising  that  body  that  in  declining  to  re-appoint  Chief 
Collyer  it  would  jeopardize  the  property  upon  which  the 
company  had  risks.  Such  a  warning  did  not  go  un- 
heeded, and  from  that  time  he  was  undisturbed.  About 
a  year  prior  to  the  centennial,  an  attempt  was  made  by 
H.  H.  Sheldon  to  erect  a  monument  in  Collyer  Square. 
A  subscription  paper  was  started,  but  there  was  objection 
to  the  location,  and  the  paper  was  turned  over  to  a  com- 
mittee consisting  of  John  Brierly,  Edmund  S.  Mason, 
Everett  P.  Carpenter  and  Seabury  S.  Tompkins.  The 
work  was  largely  new,  but  a  substantial  encouragement 
was  obtained,  and  upon  the  addition  of  General  Olney 
Arnold's  name  to  the  committee  its  success  was  assured. 
At  first  it  was  thought  to  put  the  monument  in  Wilkin- 
son Park,  but  finally,  at  the  desire  of  the  family,  it  was 
located  at  Mineral  Spring  Park,  where  the  dedicatory 
services  took  place. 

There  was  present  the  entire  active  department  of  the 
city,  the  Veteran  Firemen's  Association, and  a  largecon- 
course  of  citizens.  The  firemen,  headed  by  Reeves' 
Band,  marched  to  Music  Hall,  where  the  speakers  and 
guests,  Governor  Davis,  Mayor  Carroll,  the  city  council 
and  the  Providence  Veteran  Firemen's  Association  were 
received.  The  line  then  proceeded  up  Main  Street  to 


DEDICATION   OF   COLUYER   MONUMENT. 


84 


THE   COTTON   CENTENNIAL 


PAWTUCKET  FALLS,    1890. 

Photographed  by  Stoddard. 


Mineral  Spring  Park.  After  an  appropriate  selection  by 
the  band,  the  monument  was  unveiled  by  Edward 
Collyer  Bowen,  a  grandson  of  the  deceased,  prayer  was 
offered  by  Rev.  J.  J.  Woolley,  a  short  address  was  given 
by  Governor  Davis,  who  presided,  and  a  tribute,  in  the 
form  of  a  historical  sketch  of  the  life  of  Mr.  Collyer,  was 
given  by  Captain  Frank  M.  Bates.  The  monument  was 
then  presented  to  the  city  by  General  Olney  Arnold,  and 
received  in  behalf  of  the  city  by  Mayor  Carroll. 

DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  MONUMENT. 

The  base  of  the  monument  is  of  Westerly  granite,  and  is  eight 
feet  in  height  and  four  and  one-half  feet  in  width.  Panels  are 
chiselled  on  the  sides.  The  one  on  the  front  bears  a  bronze 
representation  of  the  locality  where  the  accident  occurred  which 
cost  Chief  Engineer  Collyer  his  life.  The  scene  shows  an  over- 
turned hose  carriage,  with  firemen  lying  about  the  ground,  and 


is  intended  to  portray  the  memorable  spot  at  the  corner  of  Min- 
eral Spring  and  Lonsdale  avenues. 

The  rear  panel  is  inscribed  with  the  name  and  age  of  the  hero 
it  commemorates,  and  other  facts  relating  to  his  life.  The 
bronze  figure  of  the  chief,  in  an  upright  position  on  the  pedestal, 
is  seven  feet  in  height  and  four  and  a  half  in  width.  It  represents 
him  standing  in  a  full-dress  fireman's  uniform,  trumpet  in  hand, 
his  fire  hat  well  pushed  back,  revealing  every  feature  of  his  face. 
The  monument  was  designed  by  Charles  Dowler  of  Providence, 
and  cost  about  $2.500. 

The  tablet,  seen  below  the  statue,  is  of  bronze  and  contains  a 
representation  of  the  manner  in  which  Captain  Collyer  met  his 
death  —  the  ovei  turned  hose  cart,  the  chief  lying  on  the  ground 
beneath  the  cart,  and  the  other  firemen  who  were  injured  at  the 
same  time.  On  the  reverse,  in  raised  letters  cut  in  the  granite 
and  polished,  is  the  inscription,  "  Erected  to  the  memory  of 
Samuel  S.  Collyer,  who  died  July  27, 1884,  while  in  the  discharge 
of  his  duty  as  Chief  Engineer  of  the  Pawtucket  Fire  Depart- 
ment. Born  May  3,  183?." 


QlWTER  VII. 


PAWTUCKET  AT  THE  PRESENT   DAY. 


ITS  GROWTH  AND  PROSPERITY — ITS  VARIED  INDUSTRIES — FAVORABLE  SITUATION  FOR  SPINNING  OF  COTTON — RECENT 
INCREASE  IN  TRADE — COMPETITION  OF  ITS  FIRMS  WITH  ENGLISH  MANUFACTURERS — DEVELOPMENT  OF  THE  "  PLAINS" — 
WATER  A^4D  FIRE  SERVICE  OF  THE  CITY — PUBLIC  BUILDINGS — PUBLIC  LIBRARY  AND  BUSINESS  MEN'S  ASSOCIATION — 
SCHOOLS  AND  CHURCHES — SOCIAL  LIFE — SAVINGS  BANK  DEPOSITS — SKETCHES  OF  LEADING  INDUSTRIES  AND  BUSINESS 
MEN. 

here,  until  not  only  is  the  original  spinning  of  yarn 
begun  by  Slater  carried  on  with  the  improvements 
rendered  possible  by  the  best  machinery  in  the  world, 
but  that  machinery  itself  is  largely  made  here,  and  to 
the  men  of  Pawtucket  is  due  the  credit  of  many  of  the 
developments  and  inventions  that  have  brought  the 
cotton  industry,  in  all  its  different  branches,  to  its 
present  success,  and  made  Pawtucket  what  she  is 
to-day.  And  all  this  is  but  the  natural  outgrowth  of 
the  introduction  of  the  spinning  frame.  The  best  and 
finest  cloth  that  can  be  made  from  cotton  yarn  is  pro- 
duced here.  Some  of  the  greatest  improvements  in 
the  machinery  used  for  this  production,  as  well  as  in 
the  manufacture  of  parts  of  machinery  not  directly 
connected  with  the  cotton  industry,  have  originated 
here.  The  manufacture  of  goods  for  the  American 
market,  which  have  won  their  way  in  direct  compe- 
tition with  foreign  goods,  has  been  begun  here,  and 
proved  successful,  and  some  of  the  largest  manu- 
factories of  Pawtucket  are  the  result  of  that  compe- 
tition. Further  than  this,  the  manufacturers  of  this 
city  are  supplying  for  England  what  that  country  is 
unable  to  produce  as  successfully,  and  are  winning 
an  enviable  reputation  in  the  old  world. 

The  productions  of  Pawtucket  are   manifold  and 
varied.     It  is  doubtful  if  any  city  in  the  United  States, 
of  like  population,  can  show  so  many  and  so  diversi- 
fied industries  in  practical  operation.     Many  of  them, 
as  has  been  stated,  are  the  direct  outgrowth  of  the 
introduction  of  the  spinning  frame.     This  includes  all 
the    improvements   in  the  process  of  spinning,    the 
bleaching   and    dyeing   of  yarn,  the   manufacture   of 
machinery  for  use  in  the   mills,  the  production  of  belts 
and  belting  and  lace  leather,  and  the  parts  of  machinery 
upon   which    improvements   have    been    made  and    for 
which  patents  have  been  secured.     But  there  are  others 
which  cannot  be  traced  to  the  cotton  industry.     There 
are  manufactories  of  jewelry,  there  are  leather  factories, 
the  proprietor  of  one  of  these  having  but  recently  begun 
the  manufacture  of  morocco,  an  industry  hitherto  neg- 
lected in  Rhode  Island,  there  are  card  board  factories, 
carriage  building,  an  establishment  for  the  manufacture 
of  hair  cloth,  a  manufactory  of  electric  supplies,  a  com- 
pany making  sewing  machines  for  the  shoe  and  harness 
trade,  in  use  not  only  in  the  centres    of  this  traffic  in 
New  England  and  the  West,  but  in  England,  there  are 


ALMON  K.  GOODWIN, 

MAYOR    OF    PAWTUCKET. 

Pawtucket  of  the  present  day  is  no  longer  the  Paw- 
tucket of  the  time  of  Samuel  Slater.  Its  present  pros- 
perity, however,  is  due  to  the  ability  of  Slater  to  repro- 
duce that  machinery  which  was  to  be  the  beginning  of 
a  great  industry.  It  was  far  greater  than  his  dreams^ 
From  the  steady,  gradual  growth  of  his  time,  Pawtucket 
has  become  a  large,  bustling  city.  Its  industries  have 
increased  rapidly  through  that  same  perseverance  and 
courage  that  was  characteristic  of  Slater  and  his  asso- 
ciates. The  Pawtucket  of  to-day  is  the  natural  growth 
of  the  industry  which  begun  in  1790.  The  old  spinning 
frame  which  Slater  built  after  so  much  labor  and  patience 
has  been  supplanted  by  more  modern  and  rapid  machin- 
ery. Industry  after  industry  has  been  directly  developed 


86 


THE   COTTON   CENTENNIAL 


saw  mills,  brush  manufacturers,  makers  of  boxes  of  all 
kinds,  a  large  oleomargarine  manufactory,  cigar  manu- 
facturers, file  manufacturers,  paper  manufacturers,  besides 
others  calling  for  the  employment  of  labor  in  a  greater 
or  less  degree. 

A  writer  has  said  that  there  is  a  certain  humidity  in 
the  atmosphere  of  Pawtucket  favorable  to  the  spinning 
of  yarns,  and  that  the  development  of  this  industry  pre- 
sents even  larger  possibilities  in  the  next  century  than 
have  been  witnessed  since  the  time  of  Slater.  The  old 
mill  was  built  upon  the  banks  of  the  river,  as  were  also 
the  mills  that  followed  in  the  early  days,  and  water- 
power  was  sufficient  to  furnish  the  motor  for  the  ma- 
chinery. But  Pawtucket  to-day  does  not  rely  entirelv 
upon  the  water  dams 
for  its  supply  of  power. 
Some  of  the  original 
mills  have  been  torn 
down,  others  have  been 
diverted  from  their  orig- 
inal use,  and  the  steam 
engine  has  supplanted 
the  early  motive  power 
in  many  instances.  Some 
of  the  largest  manufacto- 
ries in  Pawtucket  to-day 
have  been  erected  with- 
out reference  to  the  prox- 
imity to  the  banks  of  the 
river.  In  the  further 
development  of  the  in- 
dustries of  the  city,  the 
substitution  of  steam  for 
water-power  would  of 
necessity  be  coupled  with 
an  increase  in  expendi- 
ture, unless  Pawtucket 
could  successfully  com- 
pete with  those  places 
whose  direct  connection 
with  the  great  collieries 
enables  them  to  obtain 
coal  at  a  low  price.  But 
the  situation  of  Pawtucket 
is  favorable ;  and  the 
stream  to  the  south,  which 
is  but  a  continuation  of 
Blackstone  River,  is  navigable  for  schooners  and  barges. 
The  United  States  government  is  engaged  in  broad- 
ening and  deepening  the  channel  at  an  estimated  cost  of 
$400,000;  a  part  of  this  has  already  been  expended. 
The  draws  of  the  two  bridges  which  obstructed  navi- 
gation in  the  Pawtucket  River  have  been  widened, 
and  the  large  quantities  of  coal  and  iron  used  here  will 
now  be  readily  obtained.  The  water-power  is  still, 
however,  available,  the  privilege  of  Messrs.  Goff  and 
others  being  ample  for  the  demands  of  their  business, 
and  many  of  the  factories,  though  compelled  to  use  steam, 
to  a  greater  or  less  extent,  have  by  no  means  abandoned 
the  original  power. 

Since  the  incorporation  of  Pawtucket  as  a  city,  in  1886, 


HEZEKIAH   CONANT, 


TREASURER  OF  OONANT  THREAD  COMPANY. 


its  growth  has  been  steady  and  permanent.  New  manu- 
factories have  been  erected,  large  blocks  have  been  built 
and  the  population  has  proportionately  increased.  Its 
population  by  the  recent  census  shows  a  gain  of  nearly 
five  thousand  over  the  census  of  five  years  ago,  and  is  a 
little  less  than  28,000.  That  of  Central  Falls,  in  the 
town  of  Lincoln,  is  over  14,000,  making  an  aggregate 
of  42,000  population  in  what  may  be  truly  called  Paw- 
tucket, for  the  line  of  division  is  only  an  imaginary  one. 
In  1865  the  population  of  the  old  town  of  Pawtucket  was 
only  5,000. 

Its  streets,  outside  of  the  main  thoroughfare,  are  well 
laid  out,  and  the  many  beautiful  residences  show  the 
prosperity  of  its  merchants,  as  well  as  their  enterprise  in 

making  Pawtucket  a 
leading  city  in  Rhode 
Island.  But  the  largest 
growth  since  the  time 
of  its  incorporation  as 
a  city  has  been  in  the 
increase  of  its  facilities 
for  supplying  merchan- 
dise for  home  consump- 
tion, in  the  erection  of 
new  blocks  for  stores, 
and  their  occupancy  by 
merchants  who  have  as 
fine  stocks  and  do  as 
successful  a  business  as 
can  be  shown  anywhere 
in  the  State.  When 
Mr.  H.  H.  Sheldon, 
assisted  by  some  enter- 
prising business  men 
who  saw  the  advantage 
of  the  situation,  erected 
some  buildings  on  and 
near  what  is  called 
Trinity  Square,  there 
were  few  large  stores  to 
supply  the  needs  of  a 
growing,  bustling  popu- 
lation like  Pawtucket. 
The  people  went  to 
Providence  to  trade  ;  and 
the  older  merchants 
thought  it  was  impossi- 
ble to  change  the  current  of  traffic.  But  stores  were  built 
and  occupied.  One  block  followed  another.  Merchants 
who  saw  the  trend  of  events  hastened  to  establish  them- 
selves in  the  line  of  trade  and  be  prepared  to  reap  a 
portion  of  the  harvest.  Contrary  to  the  expectations  of 
the  "croakers,"  the  fine  stocks  of  goods,  the  ability  to 
meet  the  prices  of  the  city  of  Providence,  and  the 
courteous  treatment  which  the  people  received  from  the 
merchants,  induced  the  citizens  to  trade  at  home  and 
contributed  largely  to  the  prosperity  of  the  city,  for  no 
place  can  be  constantly  prosperous  that  leaves  a  large 
portion  of  its  earned  wealth  without  its  domains.  To-day 
Pawtucket's  merchants  are  among  the  most  enterprising 
in  the  State,  and  are  wide  awake  to  the  necessities  of 


PAWTUCKET  AT  THE   PRESENT  DAY. 


87 


trade.  The  city  at  the  same  time  derived  great  advan- 
tage from  this  enterprise,  the  taxes  on  real  estate  in 
1885  being  increased  on  a  valuation  of  $7,50x3,000.  The 
property  owned  by  Mr.  Sheldon  to-day  is  taxed  four 
times  as  much  as  at  the  time  the  land  was  covered  with 
the  new  buildings,  and  the  increase  in  the  valuation  of 
property  and  in  rentals  in  this  vicinity  has  been  in  about 
the  same  proportion.  The  Slater  National  Bank  has 
recently  remodeled  and  improved  its  block  at  a  cost  of 
$35,000.  A  block  has  been  erected  on  Main  Street  by 
the  Pacific  National  Bank,  which  is  one  of  the  most 
attractive  on  the  street,  and  it  is  understood  that  a  like 
improvement  is  contemplated  by  the  First  National 
Bank.  The  finest  block  in  the  city,  for  business  and 
entertainment,  is  Music  Hall,  an  imposing  four  story 
brick  building  erected  in  1880  by  Honorable  Lucius  B. 
Darling.  It  took  the  place  of  some  dilapidated  buildings 
which  had  been  torn  down,  and  furnished  a  permanent 
home  for  many  legal  firms,  corporations  and  societies, 


all  its  industries  ;  yet  Pawtucket's  growth  in  the  past  and 
particularly  at  present  has  been  materially  strengthened 
by  a  few  industries  whose  productions  have  come  directly 
in  competition  with  those  of  the  old  world,  and  whose 
prosperity  will  be  duplicated  in  the  future,  under  the 
present  condition  of  things.  When  the  braids  manu- 
factured by  Messrs.  D.  Goff&  Sons  were  first  put  on  the 
market,  they  were  met  by  an  inferior  quality  of  German 
and  English  braid  sold  at  a  high  price.  Their  merit 
soon  found  for  them  a  place  in  this  market,  and  under 
the  policy  of  the  government  the  foreign  production  has 
been  entirely  supplanted  by  their  goods  and  those  of 
other  manufacturers.  The  braid  of  Messrs.  Goft"  has 
always  maintained  its  superiority,  and  is  at  the  same  time 
sold  at  as  low  a  price  as  any  in  the  American  market. 
The  plush  goods  recently  manufactured  by  this  firm  have 
found  a  market  solely  on  their  merits,  against  the  French 
plushes,  which  have  been  considered  the  finest  in  the 
world,  and  so  great  has  been  the  competition  that  im- 


VIEW  OF  THE  CONANT  THREAD  CO.'S  OFFICE  AND  WORKS. 


and  an  opera  house,  for  concerts  and  dramatic  entertain- 
ments. The  ground  floor  is  occupied  by  the  First 
National  Bank  and  Providence  County  Savings  Bank, 
on  one  side  of  the  main  entrance,  and  by  the  Boston  & 
Providence  Clothing  Company  on  the  other.  On  the 
second  floor  is  the  large  hall,  or  theatre,  having  a  stage 
ample  for  the  purposes  of  any  ordinary  dramatic  attrac- 
tion, and  an  auditorium  excellently  arranged,  with  com- 
fortable opera  chairs  and  private  boxes.  The  upper 
stories  are  devoted  to  offices,  and  there  are  small  halls  in 
the  top  story,  suitable  for  church  fairs,  socials  and  enter- . 
tainments,  to  which  there  is  convenient  access  by  means 
of  an  elevator.  Kinyon  Block,  the  home  of  the  Young 
Men's  Christian  Association,  is  an  elegant  building  with 
large  tower,  stores  of  different  kinds  occupying  the  ground 
floor.  The  new  building  on  the  corner  of  Maple  and 
Main  streets  is  also  one  of  the  improvements  of  value  to 
the  place. 

The  prosperity  of  a  city  depends  upon  the  success  of 


porters  have  had  quantities  of  these  goods  consigned  at 
an  undervaluation,  to  be  sold  at  such  a  price  as  should 
drive  the  Pawtucket  manufacturers  from  the  home  mar- 
ket. In  this  they  have  been  unsuccessful,  and  there  is 
encouragement,  under  the  present  tariff",  to  believe  that 
these  goods,  like  the  braids  of  the  same  firm,  will  entirely 
supplant  the  foreign  production. 

The  large  establishment  of  the  Conant  Thread  Com- 
pany is  one  of  the  manufactories  of  this  country  which 
has  been  supplying  the  American  market  with  goods 
which  had  previously  been  made  across  the  water. 
It  has  found  a  successful  market  here,  giving  employ- 
ment at  lucrative  wages  to  an  army  of  operatives,  and  its 
prospects  were  never  more  encouraging  than  at  the 
present  time.  The  E.  Jenckes  Manufacturing  Company, 
which  has  been  manufacturing  cotton  and  worsted 
hosiery,  both  ladies'  and  gents',  has  been  successfully 
competing  with  imported  goods  in  the  same  line.  It 
has  made  hosiery  for  the  masses,  and  such  manufactures 


88 


THE  COTTON  CENTENNIAL. 


W.   F.  SAYLES, 

OF  W.    F.   &    F.    O.   SAYLES,    PAWTUCKET. 

are  finding  an  ample  market  at  this  time.  Preparations 
are  being  made  for  a  large  production  the  coming  sea- 
son, because  many  grades  of  hosiery  with  which  there 
has  been  competition  will  be,  to  a  certain  extent^'  shut 
out  from  the  American  market.  And  for  the  further 
development  of  this  purpose  and  the  better  to  compete 
with  foreign  goods,  the  Willcomb  knitting-machine, 
for  shaping  hosiery  and  underwear  and  knitting  irreg- 
ular shapes,  will  be  an  important  aid.  Some  of  these 
machines  have  been  recently  manufactured  by  the  Camp- 
bell Machine  Company,  of  Pawtucket. 

This  latter  company  is  also  manufacturing  a  Camp- 
bell lock-stitch  wax-thread  machine,  for  use  by  shoe  and 
harness  manufacturers,  the  invention  of  Duncan  H. 
Campbell,  of  Pawtucket,  which  is  in  successful  use  in 
England,  as  well  as  this  country.  It  has  been  made  by 
the  Campbell  Company,  commercially,  for  four  years, 
and  the  prospects  for  an  increased  use  in  England  are 
considered  good.  There  have  also  been  put  up  in  Eng- 
land by  the  Pawtucket  Manufacturing  Company  machines 
made  by  that  company  for  the  manufacture  of  its  cele- 
brated nuts  and  bolts.  The  company  not  only  manufac- 
tures these  goods,  but  builds  the  machines  for  their  man- 
ufacture, and  some  of  these  have  been  put  up  in  England. 

All  this  shows  the  extent  of  the  enterprise  and  courage 
of  the  Pawtucket  manufacturers,  and  there  is  certainly 
great  encouragement  for  the  future  of  the  city  under  con- 
ditions which  will  favor  still  further  exportation  of  its 


manufactures,  as  well  as  successful  competition  in 
the  markets  of  the  United  States.  There  is  ample 
room  for  other  manufactures,  and  the  establishment  of 
further  industries  here,  and  to  this  end  Mr.  Darius 
Goft",  Edwin  Darling,  W.  R.  Sayles  and  others  are 
interested  in  the  development  of  a  piece  of  land  in 
the  eastern  part  of  Pawtucket,  known  as  the  "  Plains," 
or  "Darlington."  It  is  entirely  level,  with  light, 
sandy  soil,  and  well  adapted  to  manufacturing  pur- 
poses. It  has  been  laid  out  in  plats  and  is  owned 
by  different  parties,  but  all  are  interested  in  its  devel- 
opment. As  a  step  towards  this,  the  New  York, 
Providence  &  Boston  Railroad  Company  has  made 
a  contract  for  the  erection  of  a  freight  depot  at  the 
entrance  to  this  territory,  and  has  already  begun  to 
grade  for  this  purpose.  The  depot  is  to  be  erected 
within  one  year,  and  it  is  confidently  anticipated  that 
it  will  open  up  a  tract  to  the  advantage  of  the  city. 
Both  Messrs.  Goft'  and  Darling  will  contribute  land, 
it  is  understood,  to  manufacturers  who  will  build 
there.  Overtures  have  already  been  made,  and  while 
nothing  definite  is  assured,  it  is  believed  that  before 
another  year  the  citizens  of  Pawtucket  will  see  an 
increase  in  its  manufacturing  industry  in  that  part 
of  the  city.  Land  is  cheap  there,  and  can  be  bought 
at  from  six  to  twenty  cents  per  foot.  There  is  also 
an  effort  being  made  to  have  the  New  York,  Provi- 
dence &  Boston  and  the  Old  Colony  Railroad  Com- 
panies unite  in  the  extension  of  the  railroad  from  Red 
Bridge  to  the  Cove,  completing  the  circuit  and  making 
it  advantageous  for  Central  Falls  and  Valley  Falls  as 
well  as  Pawtucket. 

Improvement  in  transportation  is  still  further  con- 
templated in  the  construction  of  a  street  railroad,  to  start 
from  Park  Place  and  run  directly  to  Providence,  over 
East  Avenue.  A  charter  has  been  applied  for,  and  it  has 
been  favorably  considered  by  the  past  Legislature.  If 
ratified  by  the  coming  bod)-  the  road  will  be  built  and 
the  motive  power  will  be  electricity,  if  permission  can 
be  obtained.  The  Pawtucket  Street  Railway  Company 
is  also  considering  measures  for  the  equipment  of  its  lines 
in  the  city  by  the  same  system. 

One  of  the  great  advantages  to  a  city  with  the  popu- 
lation of  Pawtucket  is  the  water  service,  for  domestic 
and  manufacturing  purposes,  and  that  of  this  city  is  not 
only  in  fine  condition,  but  is  ample  for  the  wants  of  the 
people  for  many  years  to  come.  In  1888  a  new  pumping 
station  was  built,  making  the  third  in  use,  and  complet- 
ing the  plan  originally  laid  out  for  the  water  service. 
The  water  is  obtained  from  a  stream  called  Abbott's 
Run,  and  the  reservoir,  which  is  situated  301  feet  above 
tide  water,  has  a  capacity  of  20,000,000  gallons,  while 
the  demand  upon  it  is  but  4,000,000  gallons  daily. 
The  construction  of  the  works  dates  back  to  1878,  and 
their  growth  is  demonstrated  by  the  fact  that  the  receipts 
to  the  city  treasury  have  increased  from  about  eight 
thousand  dollars  in  1879  to  one  hundred  and  four  thou- 
sand dollars  in  1889,  giving  a  revenueihat  is  able,  accord- 
ing to  the  latest  report  of  the  superintendent,  to  pay  all 
interest  and  maintenance  accounts  in  the  future  and  per- 
mit a  transfer  of  not  less  than  $10,000  into  the  sinking 


PAWTUCKET  AT  THE  PRESENT  DAY. 


89 


fund  of  the  city.  In  1889  a  trial  of  the  fire  hydrants  was 
made  under  the  direction  of  the  chief  engineer,  for  the 
purpose  of  testing  the  resources  of  the  water  supply,  and 
seventy  one-inch  streams,  played  through  fifty  feet  of  hose, 
on  the  twenty  and  twenty-four  inch  main,  over  a  space 
of  three  miles,  were  used  at  one  time,  and  a  pressure  of 
eighty  pounds  was  maintained  during  the  entire  trial, 
without  diminishing  the  supply  of  water  for  domestic 
use,  which  the  superintendent  of  the  water  works  chal- 
lenged any  works  in  the  United  States  to  duplicate.  The 
pumps  used  are  the  Corliss  high  duty  pumps,  the  main 
pump  doing  better  duty  than  any  known  to  be  in  existence. 

In  connection  with  its  water  service,  Pawtucket  pos- 
sesses an  efficient  and  well  trained  fire  department,  and 
ample  apparatus  for  the  protection  of  the  property  of  its 
citizens.  The  department  consists  of  a  chief  engineer 
and  two  assistants,  and  fifty-six  men.  Ten  of  these  are 
permanently  employed  and  forty-six  are  call  men.  There 
are  four  fire  stations  and  the  apparatus  consists  of  three 
steamers  and  a  chemical  engine  with  hose  carriage  com- 
bined, carrying  600  feet  of  hose,  besides  200  feet  of  small 
hose  for  the  chemical,  and  a  fifty  gallon  tank,  one  com- 
pany working  both  pieces,  three  hose  carriages,  two 
trucks  and  an  aerial  ladder  truck,  a  life  net,  four  supply 
wagons  and  a  two  seated  wagon  for  the  chief  engineer. 
The  department  under  Chief  John  Brierly  is  in  excel- 
lent discipline,  and  on  special  occasions,  when  required, 
it  has  the  aid  of  the  Veteran  Firemen's  Association,  an 
organization  comprising  about  four  hundred  members, 
which  has  organized  itself  into  nine  hose  companies, 
and  numbers  in  its  membership  some  of  the  bravest 
firemen  and  best  known  citizens  of  Pawtucket. 

The  city  is  well  lighted  by  electricity,  both  arc  and 
incandescent  lights  being  furnished  by  the  Gas  Com- 
pany, using  the  Thomson-Houston  system.  The 
lights  were  started  November  i,  1883,  by  the  Paw- 
tucket Electric  Lighting  Company,  an  organization 
originated  by  Lucius  B.  Darling  and  Arnold  B.  Chace, 
both  gentlemen  officers,  also,  of  the  Gas  Company. 
Under  this  company  lights  for  streets  and  for  com- 
mercial purposes  were  furnished,  when  the  plant  was 
purchased  outright  by  the  Gas  Company  in  1889  and 
there  is  furnished  1,700  incandescent  lights  and  700 
arc  lights.  One  hundred  and  eighty  of  these  arc 
lights  are  for  street  purposes,  and  are  run  by  the 
moon  schedule,  fifty  of  them  all  night,  and  the  re- 
mainder till  one  o'clock.  The  commercial  arc  lights 
are  furnished  until  eleven  o'clock,  and  the  incandes- 
cents  for  the  entire  twenty-four  hours. 

One  of  the  institutions  of  the  city  is  the  Free  Public 
Library,  situated  at  present  in  pleasant  quarters  in 
Sheldon  Building,  near  Trinity  Square.  The  patron- 
age of  this  library  is  very  creditable  to  the  citizens  of 
Pawtucket,  and  its  usefulness  is  by  no  means  confined 
to  the  circulation  of  books  which  is  recorded  at  the 
desk.  In  1876  the  Pawtucket  Library  Association 
presented  to  the  town  4,700  volumes  of  standard 
works,  and  a  room  was  offered  to  the  town,  rent  free, 
for  five  years,  by  Gideon  L.  Spencer.  Since  that  time 
the  number  of  volumes  has  greatly  increased,  the 
library  containing  to-day  nearly  twelve  thousand. 


The  reading-room,  which  occupies  nearly  half  the 
library,  is  an  important  feature,  filled  with  all  the  illus- 
trated literature  of  the  day.  It  contains  the  periodi- 
cals published  in  the  country,  both  the  monthlies  and 
weeklies,  a  file  of  every  New  York  and  Boston  daily 
paper,  as  well  as  Providence  and  Pawtucket  papers,  and 
it  is  not  infrequent  to  see  an  hundred  people  at  one  time, 
of  all  ages  and  both  sexes,  examining  the  books  and  mag- 
azines in  the  library-room.  It  is  often  that  the  youth  of 
the  city  are  largely  in  the  majority,  while  the  decorum 
manifested  and  the  character  of  the  literature  which  they 
are  seen  to  peruse  cannot  fail  to  make  them  useful  and 
worthy  citizens  of  the  commonwealth  in  years  to  come. 
The  library  is  open  every  day,  Sundays  included,  the 
latter  innovation  having  been  accomplished  within  a  few 
months. 

In  1881,  the  Pawtucket  Business  Men's  Association, 
similar  in  its  object  to  what  is  known  in  many  places  as 
a  board  of  trade,  was  organized.  The  first  meeting,  in 
response  to  a  circular  issued  by  Franklin  A.  Steere,  now 
deceased,  was  held  in  a  room  in  Music  Hall,  November 
16,  1881,  a  committee  was  appointed  to  canvass  the 
business  men  and  prepare  plans  for  organization,  and  at  a 
meeting  held  December  5,  1881,  the  organization  was 
completed  and  Hon.  Frederic  C.  Sayles  was  chosen 
president.  Mr.  Sayles  declined  in  1886,  and  subsequent 
presidents  of  the  association  have  been  Hon.  Henry 

A.  Stearns,  Hon.  Daniel  G.  Littlefield,  and  Hon.  Lucius 

B.  Darling.     A  room  in  Music  Hall  Building  has  been 


F.  C.  SAYLES, 


FIRST    MAYOR   OF    PAWTUCKET. 


90 


THE   COTTON  CENTENNIAL. 


secured  and  handsomely  fitted  up,  and  regular  meet- 
ings of  the  association  are  held  the  first  Monday  in  each 
month,  with  the  annual  meeting  for  choice  of  officers  in 
January.  The  association  numbers  on  its  membership 
roll  the  leading  business  men  of  Pawtucket  and  Central 
Falls,  and  the  regular  meetings  have  been  interesting 
and  instructive,  at  the  same  time  bringing  into  prominence 
ideas  tending  to  benefit  the  city  commercially  and  indus- 
trially. The  proposition  for  the  observance  of  the  cotton 
centennial  was  broached  by  Captain  Jenks  at  a  meeting 
of  this  association,  and  a  committee  of  its  members  has 
been  appointed  to  supplement  the  work  of  the  celebration 
by  soliciting  subscriptions  for  a  suitable  memorial*  to 
Samuel  Slater. 

The  seed  sown  by  Samuel  Slater  in  the  early  days  of 
Pawtucket,  who  realized  that  moral  and  spiritual  educa- 
tion went  hand  in  hand  with  commercial  prosperity,  has 
borne  good  fruit.  There  are 
twenty-two  churches  in  the 
city,  and  the  people  of  all  de- 
nominations find  a  conven- 
ient Sabbath  home.  There 
are  three  Episcopal  churches, 
four  Roman  Catholic,  two 
Congregational ,  three  Baptist, 
two  Methodist,  one  Univer- 
salist,  and  a  New  Jerusalem, 
Quaker,  and  the  denomination 
calling  itself  Christian.  All 
these  are  well  attended,  and 
the  result  is  seen  in  the 
character  of  the  people.  There 
is  a  flourishing  branch  of 
the  Young  Men's  Christian 
Association,  which  furnishes 
entertainment  of  a  varied  na- 
ture to  its  members,  and  has 
classes  for  instruction  in  book- 
keeping and  other  branches 
of  useful  learning.  It  also 
has  a  gymnasium  and  a'large 
tract  of  land  devotad  to  ath- 
letic sports. 

Pawtucket  appropriates  a  large  sum  for  the  support  of 
its  schools,  which  are  among  the  best  in  the  State.  Its 
societies  for  benevolent  purposes  are  numerous,  and  fra- 
ternal and  beneficiary  organizations  abound.  These  are 
confined  by  no  means  to  the  population  of  American 
descent,  but  are  found  equally  among  the  adopted  citi- 
zens, both  of  Irish,  French  and  German  nativity.  There 
are  four  newspapers,  two  weekly  and  two  daily.  The 
Pawtucket  Gazette  and  Chronicle  is  one  of  the  oldest 
papers  in  the  State,  and  the  Daily  Times,  a  well  printed 
eight  page  paper,  has  recently  added  a  valuable  plant. 


•Two  plans  for  a  monument  to  Samuel  Slater  had  been  submitted  before  the 
celebration;  that  of  Captain  Henry  A.  Jenks,  which  was  submitted  to  the 
committee  chosen  by  the  Business  Men's  Association,  and  that  of  Superintend- 
ent Albert  R.  Sherman,  who  had  a  model  on  exhibition  in  the  hall  of  the  indus- 
trial exhibit.  The  matter  of  soliciting  subscriptions  for  a  memorial  is  now  in 
the  hands  of  a  committee  from  the  Business  Men's  Association  and  there  is  a 
feeling  among  the  citizens  that  it  may  take  the  shape  of  a  Memorial  Hall  rather 
than  a  monument. 


ALFRED  H.  LITTLEF1ELD, 


MANUFACTURER,  GOVERNOR    OF    RHODE    ISLAND    I88O-I8S3. 


The  other  daily  is  the  Tribune,  and  all  the  papers  appear 
to  have  the  liberal  support  of  the  community. 

A  feature  of  the  social  life  of  Pawtucket  is  the  condi- 
tion of  the  workingmen  of  the  city,  and  the  harmony  of 
feeling  that  exists  between  employers  and  employes. 
The  industries  are  so  varied — a  temporary  depression  in 
one  being  often  identical  with  unusual  prosperity  in 
another  —  that  labor  troubles  are  infrequent.  There  are 
few  labor  organizations,  and  little  occasion  for  strikes. 
The  laborers  are  largely  industrious  and  intelligent,  and 
are  well  paid.  One  of  the  manufacturers  of  cotton  yarns 
stated  that  he  was  paying  as  high  wages  as  during  the 
late  war,  a  fact  which  speaks  volumes  for  the  liberality 
of  the  employers,  and  contributes  to  the  prosperity  of 
the  workmen.  The  employes  of  the  largest  establish- 
ment in  the  city  are  earning  good  wages,  and  many  of 
them  are  possessors  of  a  handsome  bank  account. 

The  residences  in  Paw- 
tucket are  largely  owned  by 
their  occupants ;  it  is  stated 
on  good  authority  that  there 
are  fewer  houses  for  rent  in 
Pawtucket  than  in  any  city 
of  its  size  in  the  country.  The 
Providence  County  Sav- 
ings Bank,  in  particular,  has 
manifested  a  very  liberal 
policy  towards  the  workmen 
in  loans  for  the  erection  of 
homes,  and  has  been  a  great 
aid  to  Pawtucket  in  this 
direction.  It  has  encouraged 
the  workingmen  to  build 
their  own  homes,  and  the 
bank  has  found  this  class  of 
loans  to  be  the  best  invest- 
ment it  has  made.  The  loss 
has  been  very  inconsiderable. 
The  deposits  of  this  bank 
are  large,  being,  by  its  state- 
ment October  28th,  $1,227,- 
006.63,  aud  its  surplus  $102,- 
128.65.  This  is  true  of 
the  other  Savings  Banks,  the  deposits  of  the  Franklin 
Savings  Bank  being  $1,110,677.49,  and  the  surplus 
$99,978.61 ,  and  the  deposits  of  the  Pawtucket  Institution 
for  Savings  being  $2,328,381.96,  and  the  surplus  $212,- 
349.83.  This  makes  a  total  of  deposits  in  the  three 
banks  of  nearly  five  millions  of  dollars. 

The  situation  of  Pawtucket,  midway  between  New 
York  and  Boston,  makes  it  easy  of  access  to  either  of 
these  great  markets,  to  which  transportation  can  be  made 
by  rail  or  water.  There  is  no  city  more  favorably  situ- 
ated, or  whose  prospects  for  an  increasing  business  pros- 
perity are  more  flattering  than  Pawtucket.  The  growth 
of  the  past  years  must  continue,  for  the  conditions  are  all 
favorable  to  such  growth. 

The  history  of  the  important  industries  of  Pawtucket 
is  to  a  large  extent  the  history  of  the  city  itself,  and  a 
brief  sketch  of  some  of  them  and  some  of  its  leading 
business  men,  will  be  interesting. 


PAWTUCKET  AT  THE  PRESENT  DAY. 


91 


THE    SLATER    COTTON    COMPANY'S    MILLS,    PAWTUCKET. 


The  mills  of  the  Slater  Cotton  Company,  situated  on 
Main  Street,  nearly  opposite  the  historic  machine  shop 
of  James  Brown,  constitute  one  of  the  largest  and  most 
important  industries  in  Pawtucket,  and  the  leading 
product  of  its  manufacture  is  known  everywhere.  It  is 
to-day  the  only  establishment  in  the  direct  line  of 
manufacturing  which  Samuel  Slater  inaugurated  in 
Pawtucket,  and  his  name  is  very  appropriately  recog- 
nized in  the  title  of  the  corporation.  The  company 
operating  the  mills  was  incorporated  in  1869,  and  the  old 
mill,  originally  used  for  a  file  factory,  which  is  a  part  of 
the  present  plant,  was  purchased.  At  that  time  but  300 
looms  were  in  use.  It  was  a  two  and  one-half  story 
building,  300x50  feet.  The  industry  flourished,  the 
need  of  larger  accommodations  became  apparent,  and 
three  times  there  have  been  enlargements.  In  1881-2 
the  new  mill,  one  of  the  finest  in  the  city,  was  erected. 
It  is  a  substantial  five  story  building  340  x  92  feet,  and 
the  best  machinery  in  the  market  was  placed  therein. 

The  goods  manufactured  by  the  Slater  Cotton  Com- 
pany consist  of  twills,  sateens,  fancy  woven  cloths,  apron 
goods  and  the  like,  but  its  principal  product  is  the  "  Pride 
of  the  West"  cotton  cloth,  the  finest  and  highest  grade 


of  bleached  cotton  produced.  It  is  used  largely  in  the 
manufacture  of  ladies'  and  children's  underwear,  and 
maintains  to-day  the  high  reputation  which  it  was  the 
ambition  of  the  makers  from  the  beginning  to  attain. 
The  demand  for  the  goods  of  this  company  has  been 
manifest  in  a  constant  and  steady  growth  in  the  produc- 
tion. From  the  original  30x3  looms  the  plant  has  grown 
to  its  present  capacity  of  1,475  l°oms-  During  the  past 
year,  under  the  direction  of  the  treasurer,  one  of  the  mills 
has  had  another  story  added,  permitting  an  increased 
capacity  of  200  looms.  This  industry  gives  employment 
to  600  people,  and  nearly  four  million  yards  of  cloth  in 
the  different  grades  are  produced  annually,  using  about 
three  thousand  five  hundred  bales  of  cotton. 

The  machinery  in  the  works  of  this  company  has  been 
carefully  selected  in  order  that  the  high  standard  of  its 
manufactures  should  be  fully  maintained,  and  the 
products  of  the  industry  of  Pawtucket  are  well  repre- 
sented. The  plant  consists  of  Potter  &  Atherton  picking 
machines,  Whitin  and  English  revolving  flat  cards, 
Howard  &  Bullough  electric  drawing  machines,  Carter 
combers,  City  Machine  Company  speeders,  both  Ameri- 
can and  English  mules,  Fales  &  Jenks  spinning  frames, 


92 


THE   COTTON   CENTENNIAL. 


Colvin  and  Whitin  and  new  Stafford  looms,  a  large  por- 
tion of  which  are  fitted  with  the  Morton  let-off.  Each 
room  is  supplied  with  patent  automatic  sprinklers,  for 
use  in  case  of  fire,  and  in  the  weaving  room  is  an  Aero- 
phor  air  moistening  machine  —  a  German  patent.  The 
old  mill  contains  a  325  horse-power  Corliss  engine,  the 
new  mill  a  Harris-Corliss  of  600  horse-power  and  a 
Greene  of  250  horse-power.  In  the  different  mills  are 
Whittier,  Robinson,  and  Babcock  &  Wilcox  boilers.  The 
rooms  in  both  mills  are  lighted  by  electricity,  the  system 
in  the  old  mill  being  the  Waterhouse  arc,  and  in  the  new 
the  Edison  incandescent. 

Hon.  William  F.  Sayles  is  president  of  the  company, 
having  held  that  position  for  many  years,  being  also  one 
of  the  original  incorporators.  C.  E.  Lindsey,  the  present 
treasurer,  has  been  in  this  office  since  September,  1889. 
Mr.  Lindsey  has  had  a  large  experience  in  the  manu- 
facture of  cotton,  being  originally  with  the  American 
Print  Works  in  Fall  River  twenty-two  years,  and  after- 
wards connected  with  the  Conanicut  Mills  in  that  city,  of 
which  he  is  treasurer  at  the  present  'time.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  city  government  of  Fall  River  for  many 
years,  and  two  years  mayor  of  the  city.  V.  T.  Barber 
is  superintendent  of  the  works.  The  selling  agents  of 
the  company  are  Coffin,  Altemus  &  Co.,  New  York, 
Boston,  Philadelphia  and  Baltimore. 


The  company,  as  originally  incorporated,  continued  until 
1881,  when  Jacob  Dunnell  retired  from  the  active 
management,  still,  however,  retaining  his  interest,  and 
his  son,  W.  W.  Dunnell,  became  treasurer,  which  posi- 
tion he  retains  at  the  present  time.  Five  years  ago  a 
new  bleachery  was  built  and  an  entirely  new  plant  for 
the  finishing  of  white  goods  was  put  in.  Since  that 
time  the  dyeing  and  finishing  of  all  kinds  of  cotton 
goods  has  been  an  important  part  of  the  business. 
Printing  is  still  done,  and  the  company  is  the  largest 
in  the  vicinity  doing  what  is  known  as  job  printing. 
In  former  years  this  work  was  done  by  the  company  on 
its  own  account,  but  for  the  past  three  years  all  the  dye- 
ing, finishing  and  printing  has  been  done  on  account  of 
other  parties.  In  August,  1890,  the  establishment  was 
visited  by  an  extensive  fire,  which  affected,  however,  only 
the  printing  department.  Four  new  buildings  are  now  in 
process  of  erection,  with  about  the  same  capacity  as 
the  old  mills.  They  will  be  fitted  with  new  machinery 
and  modern  appliances,  and  the  company  will  take  the 
occasion  to  rebuild  the  old  bleachery.  The  capacity  of 
the  establishment  is  the  finishing  of  50,000,000  yards 
of  cloth  annually,  and  about  five  hundred  people  are 
employed.  Jacob  Dunnell  died  in  1885,  and  his  por- 
tion of  the  stock  still  remains  in  the  corporation  in  the 
hands  of  trustees. 


The  business  of  the  Dunnell  Manufacturing  Company 
is  conducted  on  the  site  of  an  old  print  works,  and  this 
has  been  the  leading  branch  of  industry  in  the  present 
establishment  from  the  beginning.  The  water-privilege 
belonged  to  the  Bucklin  heirs,  and  as  early  as  1817  it 
was  purchased  by  Almy,  Brown  &  Slater  for  the  pur- 
pose of  bleaching  cotton  cloth  and  yarns.  Block  print- 
ing was  introduced  in  1824,  and  after  several  changes 
the  property  was  leased  to  Sibley  &  Kelley  in  1830, 
who  began  printing  under  the  style  of  the  Franklin 
Print  Works,  continuing  until  1836,  when  a  partner- 
ship was  formed  between  Jacob  Dunnell,  Thomas  L. 
Dunnell  and  Nathaniel  W.  Brown,  the  immediate  pred- 
ecessors of  the  present  corporation.  This  firm  began 
business  under  the  name  of  Jacob  Dunnell  &  Company, 
using  only  two  machines,  which  would  print  two  and 
four  colors,  Jacob  Dunnell  was  the  moving  spirit 
in  the  enterprise  from  the  start,  although  he  was  with- 
out previous  experience  in  the  business.  The  plant 
grew  and  the  production  of  the  mill  increased  until  the 
company  was  using  ten  machines,  varying  from  four 
to  ten  colors.  All  the  improved  machinery  for  print- 
ing was  introduced,  new  buildings  were  erected,  the 
old  bleachery  and  dye  house  was  utilized  until  it  became 
necessary  to  build  a  new  one,  and  the  industry  is  to-day 
one  of  the  largest  in  Pawtucket,  and  is  the  only  print 
works  in  the  city. 

In  1853  the  firm  became  an  incorporated  company 
under  the  laws  of  Massachusetts,  the  property  being  in 
that  state  until  the  readjustment  of  the  boundary  line 
between  Massachusetts  and  Rhode  Island.  In  1860  the 
company  came  under  the  laws  of  the  latter  state,  and 
became  a  part  of  the  industries  of  the  town  of  Pawtucket. 


The  Greene  &  Daniels  factory  is  one  of  the  oldest  en- 
terprises in  Pawtucket,  and  it  is  a  question  if  the  firm  was 
not  the  first  to  make  spool  cotton  in  this  country.  It  was 
one  of  the  pioneers,  at  all  events.  Benjamin  F.  Greene, 
the  father  of  the  present  president  of  the  corporation, 
worked  as  second  hand  in  a  mill  of  700  spindles  for 
seventeen  years  previous  to  1840.  At  that  time  with 
four  other  persons  he  leased  a  room  80x36,  in  Central 
Falls,  and  with  600  spindles  began  the  manufacture  of 
cotton  yarn  or  thread.  In  1845,  he  removed  to  Maple- 
ville,  R.  I.,  where  he  had  a  larger  mill,  and  in  1850 
he  again  removed  to  Richmond,  R.  I.,  at  which  place  he 
was  running  2,000  spindles.  That  year,  1850,  Horace 
Daniels  was  employed  as  book-keeper  and  assistant  super- 
intendent of  the  mill.  Mr.  Daniels  was  a  practical  man, 
and  observed  that  Mr.  Greene  was  selling  his  cotton  yarn 
to  people  who  were  winding  it  on  spools.  Mr.  Daniels 
suggested  that  Mr.  Greene  wind  his  own  cotton,  and  put 
it  on  the  market  in  this  form.  The  business  increased  and 
in  1853  Mr.  Daniels  became  a  partner  in  the  firm.  In 
1855  Mr.  Greene  decided  to  return  to  his  old  home  in 
Central  Falls,  and  the  machines  were  transferred  to  the 
present  location.  About  this  time  Mr.  Daniels  took  out 
a  patent  for  dressing  the  thread  which  became  very  pop- 
ular, and  the  Greene  &  Daniels  ivory  finish  spool  cotton 
was  sold  everywhere.  In  1860,  an  enlargement  was 
made,  and  in  1865  it  was  necessary  to  repeat  the  opera- 
tion, and  at  one  time  the  firm  was  making  35,000  dozen 
per  week  of  this  celebrated  cotton.  In  1876,  Mr.  Daniels 
died,  and  July  i,  18771  the  firm  became  an  incorporated 
company  under  the  name  of  the  Greene  &  Daniels  Manu- 
facturing Company,  with  Benj.  F.  Greene,  president,  E. 
A.  Greene,  treasurer,  and  George  P.  Grant,  agent.  In 


PAWTUCKET  AT  THE  PRESENT  DAY. 


93 


1886,  Benj.  F.  Greene  died,  and  the  officers  of  the 
company  became  E.  A.  Greene,  president,  and  George 
P.  Grant,  treasurer. 

When  General  Daniels  died,  this  spool  cotton  was  being 
manufactured,  and  it  continued  till  about  ten  years  ago, 
when  the  use  of  the  sewing  machine  brought  the  soft-fin- 
ished six-cord  threads,  like  the  Willimantic  and  Coats, 
into  more  extended  use.  The  ivory  finished  cotton  of 
Greene  &  Daniels  was  a  three-cord  thread,  and  while  it 
is  still  manufactured  to  some  extent,  the  demand  has 
been  superseded  by  a  different  class  of  goods.  But  the 
production  of  cotton  yarns  and  threads  for  manufacturing 
purposes  has  not  been  diminished  at  the  works  of  this 
company.  In  1876  the  extent  of  the  industry  was  22,000 
spindles  ;  in  1890  it  was  32,000.  The  company  does 
bleaching  and  coloring,  as  well  as  the  spinning  of  the 
yarn,  and  has  done  considerable  coloring  for  the  woolen 
people.  Since  1876  and  1877  a  specialty  has  been  made 
of  a  high  grade  of  yarns,  in  the  different  colorings,  for 
ladies'  dresses,  and  this  grade  of  goods  is  sold  to  manu- 
facturers for  many  purposes.  Since  that  time  there  has 
been  a  complete  revolution  in  the  methods  of  manufac- 
turing yarns,  and  the  company  has  put  in  new  machin- 
ery, using  the  English  system  of  carding  and  combing. 
About  four  hundred  people  are  employed,  and  all  the  yarn 
used  for  the  manufacture  of  spool  cotton  from  the  outset 
has  been  spun  at  the  mills. 

***** 

The  works  of  the  Conant  Thread  Company  are  situated 
on  Pine  Street — five  large  mills,  with  as  many  more  smaller 


EDWARD  A.  GREENE, 

PRESIDENT    OF    THE    GREENE   &    DANIELS    MANUFACTURING   COMPANY. 


BENJAMIN  F.  GREENE, 

FOUNDER   OF    THE    GREENE    &    DANIELS   MANUFACTURING  COMPANY. 

buildings — besides  an  office  in  a  separate  building,  which 
has  the  appearance  to  the  visitor  more  of  an  elegant  man- 
sion than  the  headquarters  of  a  busy  mart  of  industry. 
Mr.  Hezekiah  Conant,  the  originator  of  this  enterprise, 
is  still  the  managing  spirit  of  the  establishment,  and  takes 
just  pride  in  the  record  which  has  been  made.  Prior  to 
the  establishment  of  the  company,  Mr.  Conant  had  an 
experience  of  nine  years  with  the  Willimantic  Thread 
Company,  in  WillimanticJ  Conn.,  and  came  here  with 
the  idea  of  establishing  a  similar  industry  in  Pawtucket. 
An  application  was  made  for  a  charter  by  Mr.  Conant, 
and  several  other  gentlemen,  which  was  promptly  granted, 
and  with  a  capital  of  $30,000,  the  manufacture  of  spool 
cotton  began  in  a  little  mill  on  the  premises  occupied 
by  the  company  to-day.  This  was  in  1868.  The  same 
year  Mr.  Conant  had  an  interview  with  J.  &  P.  Coats, 
and  easily  convinced  the  English  firm  that  great  advantages 
would  come  from  the  manufacture  of  its  thread  here.  In 
May,  1869,  a  new  company  was  formed,  and  the  manu- 
facture of  J.  &  P.  Coats'  six-cord  spool  cotton  was  begun 
in  earnest,  increasing  from  time  to  time  until  it  has  reached 
the  mammoth  proportions  which  make  it  the  largest  in- 
dustry in  Pawtucket.  The  necessities  of  the  business 
caused  the  erection,  in  1870,  of  a  second  mill,  called  Mill 
No.  2.  In  1872  MillNo.3  wasbuilt,  in  t874anadditional 
wing  of  two  stories  was  added  to  Mill  No.  2,  and  a  large 
store-house  was  constructed  the  same  year.  In  1875  Mill 
No.  4  was  begun,  to  extend  the  spinning  and  twisting,  the 
capacity  of  which  was  to  be  as  large  as  the  two  previous 
mills  put  together.  This  mill  was  ready  for  occupancy 
in  February,  1876,  and  the  following  year  a  dye-house 
and  paper  box  shop  were  added.  Since  that  time  Mill 
No.  5,  giving  still  further  facilities  for  spinning  and 
twisting,  has  been  erected,  and  the  entire  works  of  the 
company  cover'at  the  present  time  an  area  of  about  forty 
acres. 


THE   COTTON   CENTENNIAL. 


The  Conant  Thread  Company  employs  at  the  present 
time  2,200  people,  two-thirds  of  whom  are  females. 
It  has  been  the  policy  of  the  company  from  the  out- 
set to  pay  its  employes  sufficient  wages  to  attract  the 
best  class  of  help,  believing  it  for  its  interest  to  have 
efficient  workmen.  As  a  result,  many  of  the  employes 
live  in  houses  which  have  been  built  by  them  from  their 
weekly  earnings,  and  large  numbers  of  the  working  men 
and  women  reside  in  close  proximity  to  the  mill  property, 
which  is  an  exceedingly  attractive  place,  and  many  of 
the  residences  bear  evidence  of  excellent  taste  and  pros- 
perity- No  industry  that  has  existed  in  Pawtucket,  since 
the  time  of  Slater,  has  contributed  more  largely  to  the 
enterprise  and  business  prosperity  of  the  place. 
*  «  *  «  * 

The  bleachery  of  W.  F.  &  F.  C.  Sayles,  situated  on 
the  Moshassuck  River,  has  developed  alongside  of  the 
growth  of  the  cotton  industry  in  Pawtucket.  Its  founder, 
William  F.  Sayles,  was  born  in  Pawtucket,  and  after  a 
mercantile  experience  of  several  years  with  Shaw  &  Earle 
of  Providence  he  purchased  the  old  Pimbly  Print  Works, 
on  the  site  of  the  present  establishment,  and  with  little 
capital  and  no  experience  began  the  bleaching  of  cotton 
cloth.  This  was.in  1847.  The  buildings  were  of  wood, 
and  were  small,  but  the  enterprise  succeeded,  and  the 
following  year,  1848,  the  bleachery  was  turning  out  a  ton  of 
cloth  per  day.  From  this  time  the  growth  was  steadily 
forward,  until  in  1854,  when  the  works  were  burned, 
four  tons  per  day  was  the  capacity  of  the  bleachery. 
The  fire  took  place  in  June  and  by  autumn  the  works 
were  rebuilt  in  a  substantial  manner,  with  a  capacity  for 
the  bleaching  of  six  tons  of  cloth  per  day.  But  this  was 
inadequate  to  the  demand,  and  in  1855  there  was  made 
another  enlargement,  and  there  has  been  a  constant 
increase  in  the  business  until  it  is  admitted  to  be  the 
largest  of  its  kind  in  the  country.  Ten  years  ago  the 
capacity  of  the  works  was  forty  tons,  or  about  three  hun- 
dred and  twenty-five  thousand  yards  per  day,  and  at  the 
present  time  the  product  is  much  greater  than  that. 

The  establishment  is  situated  on  the  Moshassuck  River, 
in  a  beautiful  location,  and  at  an  early  period  Mr.  Sayles 
gave  the  name  of  this  river  to  the  bleachery,  the  name 
by  which  it  is  known  at  the  present  time.  In  1863, 
F.  C.  Sayles,  the  younger  brother  of  the  founder  of  the 
bleachery,  who  had  been  in  the  constant  employ  of  his 
brother  after  leaving  school  and  had  acquired  a  thorough 
knowledge  of  the  various  processes  in  the  business,  was 
admitted  as  partner.  From  that  time  the  firm  became 
known  as  it  exists  to-day,  William  F.  attending  to  the 
finances,  the  contracts  and  the  duties  of  general  outside 
manager,  and  F.  C.  directing  the  local  affairs  and  the 
details  of  the  operations  in  the  works. 

The  machinery  and  facilities  of  the  bleachery  of  the 
Messrs.  Sayles  are  of  the  highest  order,  and  nearly  fifteen 
hundred  operatives  find  employment  here.  The  firm 
owns  the  Lorraine  Mill,  which  is  also  on  the  Moshas- 
suck River,  on  Mineral  Spring  Avenue,  and  which  in 
former  years  manufactured  cotton  goods,  but  has  been 
recently  engaged  more  largely  on  woolens,  and  both 
members  of  the  firm  have  been  prominently  identified 
with  leading  banks  in  Pawtucket  and  Providence. 


The  manufacture  of  worsted  braids,  now  one  of  Paw- 
tucket's  most  important  industries,  was  begun  by  Darius 
GofF  and  others  in  1861,  on  the  graduation  from  college 
of  his  eldest  son,  Darius  L.  GofF.  The  building  occu- 
pied by  Mr.  GofTand  his  associates  was  the  first  worsted 
braid  mill  in  this  country,  though  Mr.  Daggett,  the  man- 
ufacturer of  the  "Gold  Medal  Braid,"  commenced 
operations  the  same  year.  The  industry  was  carried  on 
in  a  small  way  until  1864,  when  Messrs.  GofT  &  Son 
took  the  old  stone  mill  on  the  site  of  the  present  location, 
where  the  business  has  increased  until  "  Goff's  Braid"  is 
known  in  every  part  of  the  country.  The  manufacture 
of  braid  was  not  profitable  at  the  outset,  owing  chiefly 
to  the  tariff  laws,  which  at  the  time  did  not  afford  suf- 
ficient protection  to  the  industry,  and  the  works  were  run 
at  a  loss.  But  the  tariff  of  1867  enabled  the  firm  to  make 
and  sell  its  goods  at  a  profit,  and  the  business  developed 
rapidly  from  that  time.  Prior  to  the  change  in  the  tariff 
laws  the  firm  was  compelled  to  compete  with  a  poor 
quality  of  English  and  German  braid,  and  was  at  a  dis- 
advantage even  then.  Improvement  in  machinery  and 
in  the  methods  of  manufacturing  has  brought  competition 
in  this  industry,  so  that  a  much  better  quality  of  braid  is 
made  to-day  by  Messrs.  GofF  than  was  imported  at  the 
time  of  the  lower  tariff,  and  it  is  sold,  also,  at  a  less 
price.  In  1872,  Lyman  B.,  the  younger  son  of  Mr.  Goff, 
was  admitted  to  the  firm,  the  style  being  after  that  time, 
D.  Goft"  &  Sons,  and  the  same  year  the  large  braid  mill 
was  erected. 

In  1877  the  firm  made  a  change  in  the  method  of 
putting  up  the  braid  for  the  retail  trade.  Formerly  it 
had  been  put  up  in  the  stick  form  so  familiar  to  the 
housewife,  but  Darius  L.  Goft'  conceived  the  idea  of  roll- 
ing the  braids  and  fastening  the  end  with  a  clasp.  The 
experiment  was  tried,  and  a  patent  obtained  on  the  clasp 
for  fastening  braid.  It  was  predicted  by  other  manufac- 
turers that  this  style  of  putting  up  would  be  a  failure,  but 
the  demand  for  this  form  was  instantaneous  from  retailers, 
and  other  makers  hastened  to  follow  the  method  devised 
by  Mr.  GofF.  The,y  could  only  imitate  this  braid  by  using 
a  staple  to  fasten  the  end.  They  could  not  use  the  clasp 
patented  by  Mr.  Goff",  but  permission  was  granted  to  one 
party  in  a  different  business  to  use  it.  In  the  manufacture 
of  its  goods  the  firm  has  always  been  alive  to  the  interests 
of  the  consumer  —  determined  that  the  article  bearing  its 
name  should  be  the  best  that  could  be  made.  The  braids 
have  attained  and  maintained  their  reputation  on  the 
merits  of  the  goods.  "  GofFs  Braid"  is  sold  directly  to 
the  trade,  and  always  has  been,  and  the  house  is  repre- 
sented with  a  stock  of  goods  in  Chicago,  Philadelphia, 
St.  Louis  and  San  Francisco. 

In  1882  Messrs.  Goff  &  Sons  began  the  manufacture 
of  mohair  plushes  for  upholstering  car-seats  —  goods 
which  had  never  before  been  made  in  this  country  or  in 
England.  It  was  a  difficult  fabric  to  produce,  and  at  the 
beginning  a  competent  and  reliable  man  was  sent  to 
France  and  Germany  to  investigate  the  methods  of  man- 
ufacture and  purchase  some  machinery.  After  many 
weeks,  failing  to  obtain  any  information  of  practical  value 
— the  methods  of  manufacture  being  kept  secret  in  these 
countries  —  he  returned,  Messrs.  Goft  began  experi- 


PAWTUCKET  AT  THE  PRESENT  DAY. 


95 


ments  in  the  braid  mill,  and  succeeded  in  working  out 
the  problem.  After  five  years  of  persistent  labor  and 
thought,  plushes  were  turned  out  equal  in  every  respect 
to  the  best  French  goods.  It  is  with  these  that  the  firm 
has  been  obliged  to  compete,  and  has  done  so  success- 
fully, obtaining  a  share  of  the  trade  on  the  merits  of  the 
plushes.  Since  American  plushes  were  placed  on  the 
market  foreign  manufacturers  have  reduced  prices,  vary- 
ing from  twenty  to  thirty  per  cent.  —  the  object  being 
to  force  the  American  plushes  out  of  the  market.  But 
the  new  tariff"  has  afforded  an  additional  protection  to 
the  manufacture,  and  beyond  doubt  this  industry  will  be 
an  important  one  in  this  country  and  to  Pawtucket.  The 
works  of  Messrs.  Goft"  are  run  entirely  by  water-power — 
being  the  last  privilege 
on  the  Blackstone  River, 
with  a  fall  of  seventeen 
feet.  There  are  four  tur- 
bine wheels,  and  every- 
thing connected  with  this 
power  is  in  the  finest 
shape  that  it  can  be  put 
by  the  skill  of  the  me- 
chanic. The  plant  is 
heated  by  steam  and  is 
lighted  by  electricity, 
using  the  Edison  incan- 
descent system,  the  dyna- 
mo being  driven  by 
water-power.  The 
buildings  are  all  of  brick, 
and  for  protection  from 
fire  there  is  a  five-inch 
stand  pipe  running  to 
the  roof,  with  a  pressure 
of  one  hundred  pounds 
to  the  square  inch. 
About  five  hundred  peo- 
ple are  employed  in  this 
establishment. 

In  1884  the  entire  busi- 
ness was  incorporated 
with  a  capital  of  $600,- 
ooo  :  D.  Goff,  president ; 
D.  L.  Goff,  treasurer 
and  general  manager. 

Mr.    Darius    Goff",    to 

whose  enterprise  and  foresight  Pawtucket  is  indebted 
for  this  industry  as  well  as  that  of  the  Union  Wadding 
Company,  is  now  over  80  years  of  age.  He  can  be 
found  at  the  braid  works  almost  any  pleasant  day,  and 
though  the  active  duties  pertaining  to  the  establishment 
have  been  assumed  by  his  son,  he  is  thoroughly  interested 
in  anything  that  will  encourage  American  productions 
or  bring  prosperity  to  the  city  of  Pawtucket. 
•  *  *  *  * 

The  Littlefield  Manufacturing  Company,  which  suc- 
ceeded to  the  firm  of  Littlefield  Brothers,  is  one  of  the  suc- 
cessful industries  of  the  city,  and  the  plant  has  been  in 
operation  many  years.  Littlefield  Brothers  became  the 
successors  of  David  Ryder  &  Company  in  1851,  by  the 


DARIUS  GOFF, 


OF   THE   FIRM  OF   D.   QOFF  &   SONS,   PAWTUCKET. 


retirement  of  Mr.  Ryder,  and  continued  until  July  i, 
1889,  when  George  L.  Littlefield  retired  and  an  incor- 
porated company  was  organized,  with  A.  H.  Little- 
field,  president,  Eben  L.  Littlefield,  treasurer,  and  A.  H. 
Littlefield,  Jr.,  secretary.  The  mill  is  situated  on  the 
west  side  of  the  river,  in  the  rear  of  the  Manchester 
Block,  the  main  building  being  130  x  48,  four  stories 
high,  with  an  ell  three  stories  high,  105  x  30.  The 
product  of  the  mills  consists  of  cotton  yarns  for  hosiery 
purposes,  skein  cotton  and  three-cord  thread  for  spools. 
The  manufacture  of  hosiery  yarn  is  an  important  and 
growing  enterprise,  very  few  of  the  hosiery  men  spin- 
ning the  yarn  which  is  used,  but  purchasing  it  of  such 
concerns  as  the  Littlefield  Manufacturing  Company.  A 

very  fine  grade  of  yarns 
is  made  by  this  company, 
and  the  goods  have 
always  found  a  ready 
market,  which  has  been 
largely  on  the  increase 
during  the  past  three 
years.  About  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  operatives 
are  employed,  and  the 
capacity  of  the  works  is 
7,000  spindles.  The 
office  of  the  company  is 
in  the  brick  block  of  the 
corporation  on  North 
Main  Street. 

A.  H.  Littlefield,  the 
president  of  the  com- 
pany, is  a  descendant  of 
one  of  the  old  families 
of  the  state,  that  settled 
at  New  Shoreham, 
Block  Island,  in  1721, 
and  became  prominent 
in  public  life.  In  1861, 
Mr.  Littlefield  was  ap- 
pointed division  inspector 
of  the  Rhode  Island 
militia,  with  the  rank 
of  colonel,  holding  that 
office  five  years.  He  was 
representative  to  the 
General  Assembly  from 
the  town  of  Lincoln  in  1876-77,  and  senator  in  1878-79, 
He  was  governor  of  Rhode  Island  in  1880-83. 

***** 

Among  the  variety  of  industries  which  go  to  make 
up  the  business  life  of  Pawtucket  the  establishment  of 
P.  E.  Thayer  &  Company,  manufacturers  of  all  kinds 
of  brushes,  is  deserving  of  an  especial  place.  The  busi- 
ness carried  on  by  the  present  proprietors  was  started 
in  1860,  in  Attleboro',  Mass.,  by  George  F.  Green.  Mr.  < 
Green  died  in  1865.  His  brother  Thomas  continued  the 
industry,  removed  to  Pawtucket,  and  sold  out  to  Thayer 
Brothers,  the  immediate  predecessors  of  the  present  firm, 
in  1870.  The  business  continued  under  the  name  of 
Thayer  Brothers  until  1880,  P.  E.  Thayer.  its  present 


96 


THE  COTTON  CENTENNIAL 


GEO.  L.   LITTLEFIELD, 

FOB    MANY   YEARS    OF    THE    FIRM    OF     LITTLEFIELD    BROTHERS,     PROMINENT 
MANUFACTURERS    OF     PAWTUOKET. 

proprietor,  becoming  one  of  the  firm  in  1873.  One 
hundred  and  sixty  kinds  of  brushes  are  made  solely  for 
mills,  print  works  and  jewelers.  In  1880,  Mr.  Thayer, 
who  had  become  sole  proprietor,  changed  the  name  of  the 
firm  to  P.  E.  Thayer  &  Company,  and  April,  1886,  pur- 
chased the  Aquila  Cook  Brush  Works,  in  Woonsocket, 
one  of  the  oldest  in  the  state,  taking  his  nephew,  Walter 
S.  Thayer,  in  partnership  in  the  Woonsocket  part  of  the 
business.  Improved  machinery  has  made  the  manufacture 
of  this  class  of  goods  an  easier  process  than  in  former 
years,  and  large  orders  can  be  filled  at  very  short  notice. 
The  factory  in  Pawtucket  occupies  12,000  feet  of  floor 
room,  and  about  fifty  people  are  employed  in  Pawtucket 
and  Woonsocket.  Mr.  P.  E.  Thayer,  the  senior  member 
of  the  firm,  was  one  of  the  centenary  committee  at  the 
1  time  of  the  celebration,  and  has  been  a  member  of  the 
city  council  since  the  incorporation  of  Pawtucket  as  a  city. 
In  1890  he  declined  a  re-election.  The  works  in  Paw- 
tucket are  situated  at  34  East  Avenue. 

»  *  *  *  » 

Robert  D.  Mason,  who  is  now  serving   his   eleventh 
year  on    the  Board  of  Water   Commissioners  of    Paw- 


tucket, is  one  of  the  prominent  business  men  of  the  city. 
He  was  born  in  Pawtucket,  and  at  the  age  of  18  years 
went  to  work  for  his  uncle  in  his  bleaching  and  dyeing; 

o  ./  o 

establishment,  in  the  same  place  where  he  and  his  son 
are  now  located,  under  the  firm  name  of  Robert  D. 
Mason  &  Company.  The  business  conducted  by  this 
firm  was  started  as  early  as  1805  by  Mr.  Barney  Merry, 
the  grandfather  of  Mr.  Mason.  Mr.  Merry  died  in  1847, 
and  was  succeeded  by  his  son,  Samuel.  In  1866,  Mr. 
Mason,  who  had  been  employed  most  of  the  time  by  his 
uncle,  was  admitted  as  a  partner  in  the  firm,  which 
became  S.  Merry  &  Company.  In  1870,  Mr.  Merry 
retired  and  Mr.  Mason  carried  on  the  industry,  adopting 
the  firm  name  of  Robert  D.  Mason  &  Company.  In 
1889,  Mr.  Mason's  son  was  admitted,  the  style  of  the 
concern  remaining  the  same. 

The  spot  on  which  the  establishment  is  situated  is  a 
historic  one,  the  old  house  of  Samuel  Slater  being  in 
close  proximity,  and  Mr.  Merry's  house  being  in  front 
of  the  shop  of  Mr.  Mason.  Slater  and  Merry  were  thus 
neighbors  in  olden  time.  The  old  shop  where  Mr.  Merry 
carried  on  dyeing  and  bleaching  has  been  enlarged,  the 
increasing  demands  upon  Mr.  Mason  rendering  improve- 
ments necessary.  The  business  carried  on  by  the  firm 
includes  the  dyeing  and  bleaching  of  all  kinds  of  threads 
and  yarns,  knitting  cotton,  tapes  and  the  like,  and  a 
specialty  is  made  of  analine  and  fast  black  dyes.  Within 
five  years  the  industry  of  this  firm  has  materially  in- 
creased, and  the  reputation  of  Messrs.  Mason  is  very 
high.  About  seventy  people  are  employed.  The  works 
are  on  East  Avenue,  almost  directly  in  the  rear  of  the  old 
Slater  house. 

***** 

The  Fales  &  Jenks  Machine  Company  dates  back 
to  1830,  when  David  G.  Fales  and  Alvin  Jenks  formed 
a  partnership  whose  reputation  has  come  down  to  its 
successors  of  the  present  day.  One  of  the  earliest 
products  of  the  shop,  which  was  then  in  Central  Falls, 
was  the  Hubbard  rotary  pump.  Later  there  were  made 
ring  spinning  frames  and  ring  twisters — the  first  in  this 
country.  Warp  and  filling  spinning  frames,  wool  twist- 
ers, thread  winders,  force  pumps,  Howard  &  Bullough 
drawing  frames,  and  various  other  kinds  of  machinery 
used  in  the  different  processes  of  the  manufacture  of  cot- 
ton are  made  by  this  company.  In  1856,  Alvin  Jenks 
died,  and  a  few  years  later  David  G.  Fales  retired,  when 
John  R.  Fales,  son  of  the  elder  Fales,  and  Alvin  F. 
Jenks  and  Stephen  A.  Jenks,  sons  of  the  elder  Jenks, 
became  the  successors  of  the  old  firm,  still  retaining  the 
name,  and  in  the  fall  of  1863  the  building  now  occupied 
by  the  company  was  begun.  Since  that  time  many 
enlargements  have  been  necessary  and  nearly  six  hundred 
people  are  employed  by  the  company.  Both  Stephen  A. 
and  Alvin  F.  Jenks  are  interested  in  many  other  enter- 
prises, and  have  contributed  in  a  variety  of  ways  to  the 
material  and  lasting  prosperity  of  Pawtucket. 
***** 

The  old  Sprague  Mills,  in  Central  Falls,  is  occupied 
by  the  United  States  Cotton  Company,  of  which  Alvin 
F.  Jenks  is  president  and  Stephen  A.  Jenks  treasurer. 
This  company  purchased  the  old  mills  of  the  Sprague 


PAWTUCKET  AT  THE  PRESENT  DAY. 


Concern  in  1883,  starting  up  in  November  of  that  year 
and  running  seven  months,  when  an  entire  change  was 
made,  and  more  modern  machinery  was  introduced.  The 
product  of  this  manufactory  is  largely  print-cloths  and 
what  is  known  to  the  trade  as  "  oft"  goods,"  being  differ- 
ent widths  of  sheetings  and  shirtings.  About  six  hun- 
dred and  fifty  operatives  find  employment  here,  and  the 
industry  is  one  of  the  most  important  in  Pawtucket.  The 
mill  is  run  by  a  Harris  condensing  engine  of  1,325  horse- 
power, the  water  for  the  condenser  being  pumped  by 
electricity,  the  dynamo  being  in  the  engine  house  and  the 
motor  in  the  pumping  house,  on  the  bank  of  the  Black- 
stone  River,  700  feet  distant  from  the  mill. 

***** 

The  works  of  the  Union  Wadding  Company,  situated 
on  Weeden,  Pine  and  Dexter  streets,  covering  an  area  of 
territory  of  from  four  to  five  acres,  are  the  legitimate 
outgrowth  of  the  first  business  venture  of  Mr.  Darius 
Goft"  in  his  native  town  of  Rehoboth,  Mass.  In  1835 
Mr.  Goff  purchased  a  cotton  mill  in  that  town  and 
began  the  manufacture  of  cotton  wadding,  extending  the 
industry  to  glazed  wadding,  which  in  the  early  days  had 
to  be  sized  by  hand  a  single  sheet  at  a  time.  This  primi- 
tive method  was  soon  superseded  by  the  efforts  of  Mr. 
Goft",  the  business  there  greatly  increased,  and  in  1847 
he  removed  to  Pawtucket  and  purchased  the  estate  which 
is  the  site  of  the  present  establishment.  Here  was  erected 
a  large  wadding  mill  which  was  run  by  steam,  and 


PHILO  E.   THAYER, 

OF    P.    E.   THAYER   1  CO.  OF   WOONSOCKET  AND    PAWTUCKET. 


ROBERT  D.  MASON, 

OF    THE     DYEING    AND    BLEACHING    HOUSE    OF 'ROBERT     D.    MASON    &    COM- 
PANY,   PAWTUCKET. 

enlargement  after  enlargement  followed  until  at  the  pres- 
ent time  the  business  aggregates  $2,000,000  annually. 
It  is  not,  however,  devoted  entirely  to  the  manufacture 
of  the  different  grades  of  cotton  wadding,  but  includes  a 
large  trade  in  cotton  waste  and  paper  stock.  Mr.  Goft" 
was  very  early  in  life  engaged  in  the  buying  and  selling 
of  this  stock.  In  1836  his  attention  was  drawn  to  the 
fact  that  a  share  of  the  material  used  in  the  cotton  mills 
was  thrown  away,  and  at  that  time  he  made  a  contract 
with  the  Lonsdale  Company  to  purchase  all  the  refuse 
cotton  stock  which  the  company  could  not  use  in  the 
manufacture  of  its  goods.  Since  that  time,  for  fifty-four 
consecutive  years,  this  contract  has  been  renewed  with 
Mr.  Goft',  and  the  bills  of  the  Lonsdale  Company  have 
amounted,  some  years,  to  over  one  hundred  thousand 
dollars.  The  cotton  waste  sold  by  the  Wadding  Com- 
pany finds  a  market  in  England  and  Germany  as  well  as 
in  this  country,  and  is  such  an  important  part  of  the 
industry  that  the  making  of  cotton  batting,  which  was 
the  original  idea  of  the  projectors,  amounts  to  but  one- 
sixth  of  the  business  carried  on  by  the  company  at  the 
present  time.  In  iS(?o  the  firm  of  Goff,  Cranston  & 
Brownell  was  formed  for  carrying  on  a  general  traffic  in 
paper  stock  and  wadding  in  Providence,  and  continued 
until  1880,  when  this  firm  and  that  of  the  company  carry- 
ing on  the  wadding  mill  in  Pawtucket  was  merged  into 
one,  and  became  the  Union  Wadding  Company  as  it 
exists  at  the  present  time.  The  capital  stock,  which  was 
originally  $200,000,  has  been  increased  from  time  to  time 
until  it  is  now  $1,000,000,  and  this  stock  is  held  largely 


THE  COTTON  CENTENNIAL 


HENRY  A.  STEARNS, 

OF  THE   UNION    WADDING   COMPANY. 

by  the  Messrs.  Goff,  though  some  of  it  has  been  taken 
by  southern  parties.  The  officers  are  :  Darius  Goff, 
president;  Lyman  B.  Goff,  treasurer  ;  Henry  A.  Stearns, 
superintendent.  The  company  has  a  plant  in  successful 
operation  in  Augusta,  Ga.,  of  which  Mr.  George  R. 
Stearns,  son  of  H.  A.  Stearns,  is  treasurer,  and  owns 
half  interest  in  one  in  Montreal,  Canada,  which  is  under 
the  supervision  of  a  nephew  and  a  son  of  Mr.  Stearns. 
The  works  of  the  company  are  twice  the  size  of  any 
wadding  manufactory  in  the  world,  and  some  four  hun- 
dred persons  are  employed. 

***** 

Henry  A.  Stearns,  who  is  superintendent  of  the 
Union  Wadding  Company's  Works  in  Pawtucket,  and 
one  of  the  largest  stockholders  in  the  company,  has  been 
connected  with  the  manufacture  of  cotton  wadding  since 
1846.  In  fact  but  few  years  intervened  between  the 
starting  of  the  original  plant  of  the  Union  Wadding 
Company  by  Darius  Goff  and  that  of  Mr.  Stearns  in 
Cincinnati,  Ohio.  Both  were  pioneers  in  a  business 
which  has  had  a  remarkable  grow'th  since  that  time.  Mr. 
Stearns  is  a  Massachusetts  man.  He  was  born  in  the 
town  of  Billerica,  October  23,  1825,  and  his  father,  Cap- 
tain Abner  Stearns,  who  invented  the  first  machine  for 
splitting  leather  in  the  country,  was  a  soldier  in  the  war 
of  1812.  Mr.  Stearns'  parents  died  when  he  was  twelve 
years  old,  and  the  young  man,  whose  father  had  left  him 
sufficient  money  to  acquire  a  limited  education,  went  to 
Andover,  Mass.,  Academy  for  two  years,  taking  an 


English  course.  At  the  end  of  that  time,  he  was  obliged 
to  depend  upon  his  own  resources,  earning  his  living  as 
best  he  could  in  shoemaking  and  in  the  shop  until  he  was 
20  years  of  age,  when  he  decided  to  try  his  fortune  in 
the  Wes.t.  In  1846  he  found  himself  located  in  Cincin- 
nati, where  he  established  the  first  manufactory  of  cot- 
ton wadding  west  of  the  Alleghanies.  At  first  he  did 
business  alone,  but  afterwards  associated  himself  with  Mr. 
S.  C.  Foster,  under  the  firm  name  of  Stearns  &  Foster. 
Mr.  Stearns  had  no  experience  in  the  business  at  the  out- 
set, but  it  grew  and  prospered,  and  in  1850  Mr.  Stearns 
sold  out  to  his  brother,  George  S.  Stearns,  and  the  indus- 
try, as  an  incorporated  company,  called  the  Stearns-Fos- 
ter  Company,  is  continued  in  Cincinnati  at  the  present 
time,  1890.  In  1850  Mr.  Stearns  resolved  upon  a  new 
enterprise.  Gold  had  been  discovered  in  California  and 
explorers  were  hastening  thither.  Mr.  Stearns  conceived 
the  idea  that  a  steam  laundry  in  that  region  would  be  a 
profitable  investment,  and  decided  to  purchase  the  neces- 
sary machinery  and  ship  it  to  California.  This  he  did 
in  Cincinnati  and  sent  it  down  the  Mississippi  and  over 
the  Gulf  to  Chagres,  thence  across  the  Isthmus.  The 
boiler  had  to  be  carried  overland  to  Panama  by  squads 
of  men,  and  at  Panama  Mr.  Stearns  embarked  for  San 
Francisco  in  an  old  whaler,  which  sprung  a  leak,  came 
near  foundering  and  floated  around  on  the  ocean  for  four 
months.  Mr.  Stearns  started  April  2,  1850,  from  Cin- 
cinnati, and  it  was  five  months  before  he  landed  in  San 
Francisco,  so  ill  that  his  physicians  gave  little  hope  of 
his  recovery.  He  regained  his  health,  however,  set  up 
his  machinery  and  established  the  first  steam  laundry  in 
California.  In  1851  Mr.  Stearns  sold  out  his  share  in 
the  laundry,  and  purchased  an  interest  in  a  steamboat, 
running  the  first  steam  ferry  between  San  Francisco  and 
Oakland,  which  is  now  one  of  the  largest  cities  in  Cali- 
fornia. He  ran  this  ferry  but  a  single  summer,  during 
which  time  he  was  also  engaged  in  the  cattle  business, 
when  he  started  a  saw  mill  and  store  in  San  Jose.  He 
cut  down  the  redwood  and  made  it  into  lumber  for 
dwellings.  He  continued  in  this  business  until  1853,  and 
returned  to  Cincinnati,  re-embarking  in  the  cotton  wad- 
ding business  with  his  former  partners.  Here  he  re- 
mained until  1857,  during  which  time,  June  26,  1856,  he 
married  Kate  Falconer,  daughter  of  J.  H.  and  Charlotte 
Smith  Falconer,  of  Hamilton,  Ohio.  His  health  being 
poor,  he  decided  to  locate  in  Buffalo,  New  York,  and 
finding  a  partner,  he  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  hard- 
ware, when  the  financial  crisis  of  1857  came,  and  Mr. 
Stearns  lost  nearly  all  his  property.  He  removed  to 
Sangamon  County,  Illinois,  started  a  saw  mill  and  store, 
and  January  I,  1861,  he  came  to  Pawtucket,  associating 
himself  with  Mr.  GofT  in  his  old  business.  The  indus- 
try at  that  time  was  small,  but  by  the  united  efforts  of 
Messrs.  GofT  and  Stearns  it  rapidly  increased.  Mr. 
Stearns  invented  several  appliances  for  facilitating  the 
work  of  manufacturing  which  proved  of  great  value,  and 
he  took  out,  also,  patents  on  railway  safety  gates,  cotton 
gins  and  the  extraction  of  oil  from  cotton  waste.  The 
business  of  manufacturing  wadding  was  continued  as  a 
partnership  until  the  incorporation  of  a  stock  company 
in  1871.  Mr.  Stearns  very  shortly  took  up  his  residence 


PAWTUCKET  AT  THE  PRESENT  DAY. 


99 


in  Central  Falls,  and  represented  the  town  of  Lincoln  in 
the  lower  branch  of  the  General  Assembly  from  1878  to 
1 88 1.  He  was  chosen  Senator  for  the  years  i8Si-'84, 
and  again  in  iSSy-'SS.  He  served  as  chairman  of  the 
committee  which  introduced  the  water  service  into  the 
town,  and  during  his  term  in  the  General  Assembly  he 
was  appointed  by  Governor  Davis  a  member  of  the  com- 
mittee to  investigate  the  public  institutions  of  the  state. 
»  *  *  »  » 

Not  only  is  the  plant  of  the  Stafford  Manufacturing 
Company,  in  Central  Falls,  one  of  the  oldest  in  the 
vicinity,  but  John  A.  Adams,  its  present  president,  is 
the  oldest  living  manufacturer  in  the  line  of  the  cotton 
industry  in  Central  Falls.  He  was  born  in  North  King- 
ston, R.  I.,  January  20,  1815,  and  began  work  on  a  farm 
at  the  age  of  12  years.  During  this  time  he  obtained  a 
further  education  in  private  schools.  At  the  age  of  18, 
he  entered  a  cotton  factory  in  Franklin,  Mass.,  deter- 
mined to  master  every  detail  of  the  business.  This  he 
was  able  to  accomplish,  and  in  1837  ne  came  to  Central 
Falls.  Here  he  found  employment  in  the  different  manu- 
factories, and  he  takes  pride  in  stating  that  he  has 
worked,  at  some  time,  in  every  one  of  the  old  mills  on 
the  stream.  Here  he  manifested  so  much  skill  and 
sagacity  that  he  attracted  the  attention  of  a  capitalist, 
who  took  him  into  business,  and  Willard  &  Adams 
began  the  manufacture  of  yarns  and  thread  in  1842. 
This  partnership  continued  three  years,  when  Mr.  Adams 
associated  himself  with  Joseph  Wood  and  others  in  the 


STEPHEN  L.  ADAMS, 

TREASURER   OF    THE    STAFFORD    MANUFACTURING  COMPANY. 


JOHN  A.  ADAMS, 

PRESIDENT    OF    THE    STAFFORD    MANUFACTURING  COMPANY. 

manufacture  of  cotton  goods.  In  1848  two  of  the  part- 
ners died,  and  the  firm  became  Wood  &  Adams,  con- 
tinuing until  1863,  when  the  mill  was  sold  to  the  Paw- 
tucket  Hair  Cloth  Company.  The  firm  of  Wood  &  Adams 
then  transferred  its  capital  to  the  business  which  had 
been  conducted  for  many  years  on  the  site  of  the  present 
plant.  It  is  a  very  old  mill,  having  been  built  in  1824  by 
John  Kennedy,  who  ran  it  for  seven  years,  and  after  many 
vicissitudes  the  property  was  purchased  by  Rufus  J. 
Stafford  and  Henry  B.  Wood.  Mr.  Wood's  interest  was 
shortly  after  purchased  by  Mr.  Stafford,  and  his  brother 
was  associated  with  him  under  the  firm  name  of  Stafford 
Bros.  The  business  increased,  the  stone  mill  known  as 
the  Jenks  Mill  was  purchased,  and  the  manufacture  of 
spool  thread,  known  as  the  Stafford  cotton,  was  carried 
on  extensively.  In  1863,  Rufus  J.  Stafford  died,  and 
the  business  was  taken  by  Wood  &  Adams,  who  obtained 
control  of  the  property,  and  became  an  incorporated 
company  in  May,  1864.  The  corporation  became  known 
as  the  Stafford  Manufacturing  Company,  and  has  con- 
tinued under  this  name  until  the  present  time.  Upon 
the  incorporation  of  the  company  the  old  brick  mill  was 
enlarged  to  nearly  double  its  former  capacity,  and  the 
Jenks  Mill  was  also  used  until  last  year,  when  it  was 
abandoned  and  the  industry  consolidated  in  the  brick 
mill.  Within  the  past  few  years  entirely  new  and 
modern  machinery  for  the  making  of  thread  has  replaced 
the  old  —  machinery  which  will  do  the  work  quicker, 
easier  and  enable  the  company  to  compete  with  other 


100 


THE  COTTON   CENTENNIAL. 


DANIEL  G.  LITTLEFIELD, 

PRESIDENT   OF    PAWTUCKET    HAIR    CLOTH   COMPANY. 

thread  manufacturers.  There  has  been,  in  this  as  in  other 
spool  cotton  plants  in  the  country,  an  entire  revolution  in 
the  method  of  making  the  thread,  and  the  product  of  the 
Stafford  Company  is  used  very  largely  for  manufacturing 
purposes.  The  thread  made  is  mostly  two  and  three 
ply,  and  while  there  is  considerable  trade  for  the  spool 
cotton  put  up  on  200  and  500  yard  spools  for  domestic 
use,  the  larger  portion  of  the  industry  consists  in  the 
making  of  the  thread  in  long  lengths  put  up  in  any 
desired  form  for  the  use  of  the  manufacturers.  A  larger 
business  is  done  than  ten  years  ago,  and  at  the  present 
time  about  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  people  are  em- 
ployed. The  company  runs  12,550  spinning  spindles  — 
less  by  3,000  than  three  years  ago,  but  more  yarn  is 
obtained  from  the  present  number  owing  to  the  improved 
machinery — and  uses  5,000  twister  spindles.  The  dye- 
ing of  the  yarn  is  done  by  outside  parties.  The  pro- 
duct of  the  mills  is  sold  largely  in  the  markets  of  New 
York  and  Philadelphia. 

During  the  life  of  Mr.  Wood,  Mr.  Adams  acted  as 
agent  and  a  portion  of  the  time  as  president.  Mr.  Wood 
died  in  1873,  and  Mr.  Adams,  being  the  sole  remaining 
partner,  became  treasurer  also.  He  is  now  president  of 
the  corporation.  Mr.  Adams  married,  in  1836,  Sallie 
M.  Crowell,  by  whom  he  has  had  eight  children,  only 
two  of  whom,  John  F.  and  Stephen  L.,  are  now  living. 
He  became  a  member  of  the  Central  Falls  Congrega- 
tional Church  in  1848,  and  was  for  six  years  a  member 
of  the  town  council  of  Lincoln.  He  represented  the 
town  two  years  each  in  the  house  and  senate  in  the 


General  Assembly  of  the  State.  He  is  at  the  present 
time  a  trustee  of  the  Franklin  Savings  Bank  and  a  director 
in  the  Slater  National  Bank  of  Pawtucket. 

Stephen  L.  Adams,  who  is  a  son  of  John  A.  Adams, 
the  president  of  the  Stafford  Manufacturing  Company, 
was  born  in  Central  Falls,  November  25,  1849.  He 
received  a  good  education  in  the  public  schools  of  his 
native  place,  continuing  a  course  in  the  well-known 
academy  of  Mowry  &  Goff  in  Providence.  Not  being  in 
good  health  at  the  completion  of  his  studies,  he  traveled 
for  some  years  quite  extensively.  Returning  from  his 
travels  he  located  in  Boston,  Mass.,  in  the  dry  goods 
business,  until  January,  1882,  when  he  returned  to 
Central  Falls,  entering  the  office  of  the  Stafford  Manu- 
facturing Company,  as  book-keeper.  In  this  position  he 
became  acquainted  with  the  details  of  the  business 
carried  on  by  the  company,  in  the  mastery  of  which  he 
was  an  apt  student,  and  in  March,  1889,  he  was  pro- 
moted to  be  treasurer  of  the  company,  which  position 
he  holds  at  the  present  time.  The  present  officers  of  the 
company  are  John  A.  Adams,  president  and  agent ;  F. 
A.  Horton,  secretary ;  Stephen  L.  Adams,  treasurer. 
During  the  recent  illness  of  his  father,  Mr.  Adams  has 
had  the  entire  charge  of  the  management  of  the  affairs  of 
the  company. 

***** 

The  industry  of  the  Pawtucket  Hair  Cloth  Company, 
for  the  manufacture,  from  horse  hair,  of  a  cloth  which 
has  been  used  largely  in  past  years  for  furniture  covering, 
is  one  of  the  most  important  in  Pawtucket.  In  1857  an^ 
1858  a  few  machines  were  set  up  for  weaving  crinoline, 
and  the  originators  speedily  found  help  among  the  cit- 
izens of  the  place.  A  company  was  organized  in  1861, 
composed  of  the  following  gentlemen  :  David  Ryder, 
Olney  Arnold,  George  L.  and  A.  H.  Littlefield  and  Dr. 
J.  M.  Ryder.  Operations  were  begun  in  the  old  Slater 
Mill,  and  the  intricate  machinery  in  use  in  the  factory, 
and  which  has  produced  such  remarkable  results,  is  the 
invention  of  Isaac  Lindsley,  of  Pawtucket.  Mr.  Linds- 
ley  was  a  jeweler  and  of  an  inventive  turn  of  mind,  and 
his  attention  was  called  to  the  former  method  of  supply- 
ing the  single  hair  to  the  loom  by  hand  to  produce  the 
hair  cloth.  He  conceived  the  idea  of  a  machine  which 
should  automatically  select  the  single  hair  from  the  mass  ; 
so  locating  the  mechanism  in  connection  with  other 
parts  of  a  power-loom,  as  to  present  the  hair  in  and  to 
the  loom.  After  many  years  of  experimenting,  this  was 
successfully  accomplished.  In  the  production  of  hair 
cloth  the  selection  of  the  hair  and  its  proper  presentation 
to  the  loom  is  absolutely  essential.  When  this  does  not 
happen  the  production  is  temporarily  suspended,  and  the 
notched  lance  devised  by  Mr.  Lindsley  secures  the  single 
hair  from  a  bunch  of  horse  tail  hair,  and  presents  it 
properly  for  the  production  of  the  cloth.  To  this  inven- 
tion is  due  a  large  portion  of  the  success  of  the  Paw- 
tucket Hair  Cloth  Company.  The  business  was  carried 
on  in  a  small  way  until  1863,  when  Daniel  G.  Littlefield, 
at  the  earnest  solicitations  of  the  representatives  of  the 
company,  came  to  Pawtucket  to  undertake  the  work  of 
perfecting  the  machinery  and  working  with  Mr.  Linds- 


PAWTUCKET  AT  THE  PRESENT  DAY. 


101 


ley  to  build  up  the  industry.  At  that  time,  after  an  expe- 
rience in  the  manufacturing  business  that  began  at  an 
early  age,  he  was  president  of  the  Florence  Sewing 
Machine  Company,  in  Florence,  Mass.,  besides  being 
interested  in  other  manufacturing  industries.  Mr.  Lit- 
tlefield  proposed  remaining  but  a  single  year,  but  his 
valuable  experience  was  recognized,  he  became  interested 
in  the  industry,  and  the  following  year  the  company  was 
reorganized,  and  under  his  direction  the  plant  was 
enlarged  and  the  fine  brick  building,  at  present  occupied 
by  the  company  in  Central  Falls,  was  built.  All  the 
machinery  was  set  under  his  direction,  the  business  pros- 
pered, and  to  Mr.  Littlefield's  enterprise  a  large  share  of 
that  prosperity  is  due.  He  visited  Europe  several  times 
in  the  interest  of 
the  company  — 
in  1865,  and 
again  in  1866, 
1868,  1871  and 
1872,  each  time 
obtaining  infor- 
mation of  bene- 
fit to  the  busi- 
ness, and  mak- 
ing the  plant 
the  most  com- 
plete of  any  of 
its  kind  in  the 
world.  At  the 
present  time, 
although  the  de- 
mand  for  the 
production  is 
not  as  large  as 
it  has  been  in 
years  past,  this 
company  makes 
nearly  all  the 
hair  cloth  pro- 
duced in  this 
country,  there 
being  not  100 
looms  running 
in  other  parts  of 
the  continent, 
while  the  capac- 
ity of  the  Pawtucket  Hair  Cloth  Company  is  400  looms, 
and  a  good  business  is  still  carried  on. 

Mr.  Littlefield  has  had  a  long  and  varied  experience 
in  manufacturing  industries.  He  was  born  in  North 
Kingstown,  R.  I.,  November  23,  1822,  and  at  the  early 
age  of  8  years  he  began  work  in  the  Jackson  cotton  fac- 
tory in  the  town  of  Scituate,  where  his  parents  then 
resided.  Even  as  a  boy  he  became  interested  in  the 
development  of  the  industry,  and  resolved  to  master  every 
detail  of  the  business.  From  bobbin  boy  he  became 
second-hand,  overseer  and  superintendent,  and  in  1846, 
he  went  to  the  small  village  of  Florence,  and  assisted  in 
starting  a  cotton  mill.  Later  he  went  to  Northampton 
and  engaged  in  the  dry  goods  business,  and  afterwards  to 
Haydenville  and  assisted  in  establishing  a  cotton  mill  for 


THE  PAWTUCKET  HAIR  CLOTH  COMPANY'S  MILL. 


I layden  &  Sanders.  After  two  years  here,  he  started  a 
country  variety  store  in  that  place,  where  his  business 
was  one  of  the  largest  in  the  vicinity.  Disposing  of  his 
country  store,  he  became  salesman  and  agent  for  Hayden 
&  Sanders,  selling  the  goods  of  this  firm  in  New  York 
and  other  large  cities.  In  1856,  he  returned  to  Florence, 
where  he  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  sewing  machines, 
and  became  president  of  the  Florence  Sewing  Machine 
Company.  Here  he  remained  until  1863,  when,  as  stated, 
he  came  to  Pawtucket,  and  since  that  time  has  been 
actively  identified  with  the  Hair  Cloth  Company.  During 
his  residence  in  Massachusetts  he  was  chosen  represen- 
tative to  the  Legislature  in  1861  and  1862  —  during  the 
Civil  War.  In  1878  Mr.  Littlefield  went  to  Paris  as  hon- 
orary commis- 
sioner from 
Rhode  Island  to 
the  exposition, 
having  been  ap- 
pointed by  the 
United  States, 
on  the  recom- 
mendation of 
Governor  Van 
Zandt.  On  his 
arrival  he  was 
appointed  by 
Comm  issioner 
General  McCor- 
mick  an  Ameri- 
can  juror  of 
Class  58,  which 
included  small 
and  fine  ma- 
chinery of  all 
nations.  Mr. 
Littlefield  is  a 
republican  in 
politics,  was 
lieutenant  -  gov- 
ernor of  Rhode 
Island  for  the 
year  1889,  and 
is  president  of 
the  republican 
club  of  the  town 

of  Lincoln.  He  is  also  president  of  the  Providence 
County  Savings  Bank,  and  has  been  president  of  the 
Business  Men's  Association  of  Pawtucket  for  two  years. 
Within  a  few  years,  in  the  same  building  with  the 
Pawtucket  Hair  Cloth  Company,  the  Royal  Weaving 
Company,  seven-tenths  of  whose  stock  is  held  by  the 
Hair  Cloth  Company,  has  been  manufacturing  silk  and 
cotton  mixtures  of  different  varieties.  Some  very  attract- 
ive goods  are  made,  and  a  new  building,  for  the  enlarge- 
ment of  this  business,  is  being  erected  in  close  proximity 
to  the  works  of  the  Hair  Cloth  Company. 

*  »  »  »  * 

The  possession  of  a  well  equipped  and  ample  water 
service,  for  domestic,  manufacturing  and  fire  purposes,  is 
one  of  the  leading  advantages  of  the  city  of  Pawtucket, 


102 


THE  COTTON  CENTENNIAL. 


EDWIN  DARLING, 

SUPERINTENDENT    OF    PAWTUCKET   WATER    WORKS. 

and  to  Edwin  Darling,  more  than  any  man,  is  due  the 
credit  of  the  present  admirable  system,  recognized  by  all 
whose  experience  has  led  to  investigation,  as  second  to 
none  in  this  country.  Mr.  Darling  is  an  enthusiast  over 
the  service,  and  has  devoted  the  best  years  of  his  life  to 
the  establishment  of  a  system  which  promises  to  be  a  con- 
stant blessing  to  the  inhabitants  of  the  city.  Mr.  Darling 
came  to  Pawtucket  when  he  was  twenty-one  j  ears  of  age. 
He  was  born  in  Bellingham,  Mass.,  where  he  received  the 
advantages  of  a  good  common  school  education.  Until 
1878,  during  his  residence  here,  he  was  engaged  in  the 
provision  business,  when  he  was  called  by  his  fellow  citi- 
zens to  the  work  in  which  he  has  since  been  engaged.  A 
board  of  water  commissioners  had  been  appointed  for 
three  years,  for  the  purpose  of  constructing  the  water 
works  in  the  city.  At  the  end  of  two  years  there  was  a 
change  in  the  board  and  Mr.  Darling  was  appointed  com- 
missioner for  the  remaining  year.  He  entered  upon  his 
duties  with  characteristic  energy,  carried  the  original  sys- 
tem to  its  completion,  within  the  time  limited  for  the  con- 
struction of  the  works,  furnishing  Pawtucket  with  twenty- 
'  six  miles  of  pipe,  and  extending  the  service  to  Central 
Falls.  April  2,  1880,  the  entire  works  having  been  com- 
pleted according  to  the  original  design,  a  new  board  of 
commissioners  was  appointed  and  Mr.  Darling  was  chosen 
superintendent,  taking  at  once  entire  charge.  He  made  a 
thorough  investigation  and  became  convinced  that  it  was 
for  the  interest  of  Pawtucket  to  extend  its  water  service 
into  the  surrounding  towns.  To  be  assured  of  this  fact 
with  Mr.  Darling  was  to  act  at  once,  and  the  same  year 
the  Watchemoket  fire  district  was  supplied  with  water, 
and  the  following  year  the  towns  of  Cumberland  and 
Lincoln.  The  extension  of  the  service  to  Berkeley  and 


Ashton  was  accomplished  within  a  few  years,  and  with 
these  extensions  came  a  demand  for  larger  facilities  for 
supplying  the  needs  of  the  citizens  in  all  these  places. 
Pumping  Station  No.  2  was  built,  together  with  the  large 
storage  reservoir  at  Cumberland,  then  the  dam  at  Happy 
Hollow  and  Pumping  Station  No.  3.  The  revenue  has 
largely  increased,  fully  justifying  Mr.  Darling's  predic- 
tions at  the  outset,  so  that  the  cost  of  the  maintenance, 
including  interest,  is  at  the  present  time  fully  met,  with 
the  further  addition  of  some  seventy  thousand  dollars  to 
the  sinking  fund.  The  system  of  water  works  thus 
established  by  Mr.  Darling  has  a  reputation  beyond  the 
limits  of  the  service,  and  the  superintendent  is  often 
called  upon  for  advice  in  matters  pertaining  to  the  water 
departments  in  other  cities  and  towns. 

Mr.  Darling's  service  to  Pawtucket  is  not,  however, 
confined  to  the  water  works,  although  this  alone  would 
render  him  conspicuous  among  the  leading  men  of  the 
city.  But  he  has  been  interested  in  other  improve- 
ments of  a  public  nature,  and  contributed  largely  to  their 
furtherance.  He  served  the  town  in  the  General  As- 
sembly four  years,  from  1867  to  '70,  and  later,  in  1874. 
In  the  year  1869,  the  third  year  of  his  service  in  the 
House,  a  law  was  passed  abolishing  the  tolls  on  the  turn- 
pike roads  in  the  state,  and  Mr.  Darling  was  appointed 
commissioner  with  full  power  to  put  them  in  proper  con- 
dition for  use,  or  to  make  them  free.  The  tolls  were 
abolished  in  every  case,  with  a  single  exception.  The 
freeing  of  the  Pawtucket  turnpike,  now  called  Pawtucket 
Avenue,  which  took  place  April  24,  1869,  was  the 
occasion  of  general  rejoicing.  The  ceremony  was  per- 
formed by  Mr.  Darling,  who  alone  had  the  power  at  this 
juncture,  and  it  was  attended  by  the  town  council  and  a 
large  concourse  of  citizens.  Mr.  Darling  paid  the  last 
toll,  a  silver  quarter,  to  the  toll-keeper,  the  sign  was  torn 
down,  and  the  freedom  of  the  road  was  accomplished 
amidst  great  cheering.  Mr.  Darling  was  also  interested 
in  the  rebuilding  of  what  is  known  as  the  old  Red 
Bridge,  which  greatly  improved  navigation  in  Paw- 
tucket River.  He  was  also  appointed  one  of  the  board 
of  commissioners  to  erect  the  Providence  county  court- 
house, and  this  commission  received  a  vote  of  thanks 
from  the  General  Assembly,  an  exceptional  occurrence, 
for  its  honesty  and  for  the  completion  of  the  work  within 
the  appropriation.  Mr.  Darling  was  a  member  of  the 
old  town  council,  and  was  also  one  of  the  commissioners 
who  built  the  Exchange  Street  bridge  —  this  also  being 
completed  within  the  appropriation.  This  Mr.  Darling 
believes  to  be  one  of  the  essential  qualifications  of  public 
service,  wherever  there  are  proper  facilities  for  es- 
timating the  cost  at  the  beginning.  Mr.  Darling  was 
largely  instrumental  in  inducing  the  New  York,  Prov- 
idence &  Boston  Railroad  Company  to  erect  a  freight 
depot  in  the  eastern  portion  of  the  city,  which  is  being 
done,  and  which  will  be  for  the  advantage,  mutually,  of 
the  city  and  the  railroad.  For  the  past  three  years  he  has 
been  a  member  of  the  school  board,  declining  a  reelection 
for  the  ensuing  year.  During  this  time  he  was  chair- 
man of  the  building  committee  which  erected  the  Church 
Hill  and  the  Grove  Street  school-houses  —  two  of  the 
finest  in  the  city. 


PAWTUCKET  AT  THE  PRESENT  DAY. 


103 


The  business  now  carried  on  under  the  style  of  the 
Lebanon  Mill  Company  is  situated  on  Broad  Street,  a 
short  distance  above  the  railroad  depot.  The  mill  for- 
merly occupied  by  the  company  was  burned  in  Febru- 
ary, 1888,  and  Mr.  Edward  Thayer,  who  is  now  at  the 
head  of  the  enterprise,  was  compelled  to  seek  quarters  in 
the  present  location.  The  mill  which  was  destroyed  by 
fire  was  a  large  four  story  building  situated  in  Lebanon, 
a  part  of  Pawtucket.  It  was  erected  in  1858-9  by 
Messrs.  Alanson  Thayer  and  R.  B.  Gage  on  the  site  of 
an  older -mill,  called  by  the  same  name,  which  had  .been 
burned  to  the  ground.  In  1866  Mr.  Gage  retired,  and 
Messrs.  Alanson  Thayer  and  his  son  Edward  took  the 
mill,, the  firm  being  called  Alanson  Thayer  &  Son.  The 
elder  Thayer  died  in  1868,  and  the  son  succeeded  to  the 
business,  which  he  has  continued  to  the  present  time. 

The  Lebanon  Mill  Company  sells  all  kinds  of  cotton 
yarns,  for  hosiery  or  other  purposes.  Before  the  mill 
was  burned  it  manufactured  these  yarns,  but  Mr.  Thayer 
is  interested  in  several  manufactories,  whose  yarns  he 
sells  to  the  trade.  Since  moving  to  the  present  quarters 
Mr.  Thayer  has  added  the  manufacture  of  rubber  linings, 
jersey  cloths,  dress  shields,  corset  cloths,  and  knitted 
fabrics  of  various  kinds.  This  industry  is  a  growing  one, 
and  Mr.  Thayer  has  in  contemplation  the  erection  of  a 
building  for  the  production  of  this  class  of  goods  on  a 
larger  scale.  About  fifty  people  are  employed  at  the 
present  time. 

*  «  *  »  » 

The  Campbell  Machine  Company,  whose  works  are 
situated  on  Bayley  Street,  was  organized  in  1880,  with  a 
capital  of  $500,000.  The  principal  product  of  its  works 
is  a  lock-stitch  wax-thread  machine,  the  invention  of  Dun- 
can H.  Campbell,  for  use  by  shoe  and  harness  manu- 
facturers, and  which  accomplishes  what  no  other  machine 
has  been  able  to  do.  There  have  been  innumerable 
lock-stitch  machines,  and  machines  which  could  use  a 
wax-thread,  but  a  satisfactory  combination  of  the  two, 
producing  results  that  could  be  previously  attained  only 
by  hand,  had  not  been  secured  until  this  invention  of  Mr. 
Campbell.  All  the  wax-thread  machines  that  have  been 
made  in  years  past  have  been  of  the  chain  stitch  variety, 
and  the  work  which  they  produced  was  of  very  inferior 
quality.  It  could  scarcely  be  otherwise.  In  ordinary 
machine  sewing,  the  chain  stitch  has  been  mainly 
superseded,  because  of  the  fact  that  when  one  stitch  has 


CAMPBELL 
LQCK-ST/TQH 


ENLARGED  VIEW  OF  THE  CAMPBELL  LOCK  STITCH. 


CAMPBELL  LOCK-STITCH   WAX-THREAD  SEWING  MACHINE. 

broken  the  entire  seam  can  be  pulled  apart.  In  all  sewing 
machine  product  this  has  been  a  serious  objection,  and  in 
the  use  of  wax-thread  machines  for  shoes  this  stitch  has 
been  tolerated  only  because  no  machine,  until  this  inven- 
tion of  Mr.  Campbell,  had  come  on  the  market  that 
could  unite  the  wax-thread  with  the  serviceable  and  desira- 
ble lock-stitch.  But  now  that  it  has  come,  and  is  pro- 
ducing satisfactory  results,  the  demand  both  in  Europe 
and  our  own  country  has  been  very  great.  The  machine 
is  as  desirable  for  harnesses  and  heavy  belting  as  for  shoes, 
and  as  far  as  the  work  is  concerned,  it  is  preferable  to  hand- 
sewing,  because  of  the  absolute  uniformity  in  the  puncture 
of  the  holes,  the  powerful  and  even  tension  by  which  the 
stitches  can  be  drawn,  and  the  similarity  and  handsome 
appearance  of  the  seam  on  both  sides.  In  the  sewing  of 
leather  or  kindred  material  one  of  the  essential  requisites 
is  that  the  holes  made  by  the  awl  or  needle  should  be 
solidly  filled  with  thread.  This  is  done  in  the  most 
perfect  manner  by  the  Campbell  machine,  and  when  to 
this  is  added  the  fact  that  the  entire  top  of  the  stitch,  as 
shown  in  the  annexed  engraving,  may  be  worn  or  even 
cut  away  without  impairing  its  solidity,  it  can  be  readily 
seen  that  the  Campbell  machine  presents  points  of  supe- 
riority that  can  be  claimed  for  no 
other  machine  on  the  market. 
As  at  present  arranged  the  ma- 
chine can  stitch  soles  of  the  lightest 
grade  of  women's  boots,  or  the 
heaviest  harness  tugs,  and  it  can 
work  from  very  thin  to  very  thick 
work  by  absolutely  automatic 
adjustment,  without  any  loosening 
of  the  stitch.  As  will  be  seen 
by  the  picture,  the  machine  can 
be  placed  on  a  common  work 
bench,  and  occupies  about  the 
same  space  as  other  sewing  ma- 
chines. A  skillful  operator  can 


104 


THE  COTTON   CENTENNIAL 


run  it  at  a  speed  of  400  or  more  stitches  per  minute,  and 
any  man  or  woman  of  ordinary  capacity  can  learn  to 
use  it  very  readily  and  successfully.  The  machines 
have  been  very  favorably  received  in  Europe,  Daniel 
McNiven,  the  secretary  of  the  corporation,  having  estab- 
lished a  branch  of  the  business  of  the  company  at  Leices- 
ter, England. 

While  the  Campbell  machine  is  the  specialty  of  the 
company,  which  was  formed  primarily  for  its  manu- 
facture, machinery  of  the  finest  grades,  along  other 
lines,  can  be  made  at  the  company's  works.  A  very 
intricate  machine  for  the  knitting  of  irregular  shapes  and 
intended  for  the  use  of  hosiery  and  underwear  manu- 
facturers, was  on  exhibition  in  Pawtucket  during  Cen- 
tenary week,  and  was  built  in  the  factory  of  the  Campbell 
Machine  Company.  The  officers  of  the  company  are 
George  B.  Champlin,  of  the  firm  of  S.  B.  Champlin  & 
Son,  Providence,  president ;  Henry  B.  Metcalf,  treas- 
urer ;  Daniel  A.  McNiven,  secretary.  Mr.  Metcalf,  who 
has  been  treasurer  of  the  company  from  the  start,  has 
been  for  the  past  twenty  years  the  commercial  man 
of  the  Pawtucket  Hair  Cloth  Company,  and  for  the  last 
six  months  has  been  manager  of  the  Campbell  Company, 
devoting  his  entire  time  to  the  furtherance  of  its  interests, 
which  are  becoming  more  important  each  day.  Mr.  Met- 
calf is  also  interested  in  the  Boston  Button  Company,  of 
Boston,  and  is  one  of  Pawtucket's  best  known,  most 
honorable  and  successful  business  men. 

»***-» 

The  Daily  Evening  Times  is  one  of  the  institutions 
of  Pawtucket.  It  has  had  a  remarkable  growth  from 
the  beginning,  and  its  circulation  among  the  Valley  vil- 
lages, as  well  as  in  the  city,  is  steadily  increasing.  It 
was  established  April  30,  1885,  as  a  four  page  paper, 
and  the  demand  for  such  a  newspaper  was  apparent  at 
once.  It  was  enlarged  October  12,  1886,  November  i, 
1887,  October  20,  1888,  and  was  purchased  March  20, 
1890,  by  the  Times  Publishing  Company.  The  paper 
was  at  once  changed  by  the  new  management  into  an 
eight  page,  six  column  sheet,  and  an  entirely  new  plant 
put  in  at  an  expense  of  $35,000.  The  office  was  removed 
from  its  old  location  to  the  present  quarters  in  Read's 
Block,  where  its  facilities  in  the  editorial  room,  the  com- 
posing and  press  room  are  fully  equal  to  that  of  any 
office  in  the  vicinity.  The  press  and  shipping  room  are 
in  the  basement,  where  can  be  seen  a  Hoe's  latest 
improved  perfecting  press,  capable  of  printing  12,000  per 
hour.  The  offices  and  counting  room  are  well  situated 
for  use  and  convenience  to  the  public  on  the  ground  floor, 
and  up  stairs  is  the  composing  room,  equipped  with  new 
type  and  all  the  modern  appliances  for  the  production  of 
a  first  class-newspaper.  Here  also  the  forms  are  stereo- 
typed and  the  plates  sent  to  the  basement  ready  for  the 
press.  The  Times  was  enlarged  again  by  its  present 
managers  August  25,  1890,  by  adding  a  column  to  each 
page,  making  an  eight  page,  seven  column  paper.  It  has 
always  been  a  republican  paper  ;  it  has  a  corps  of  bright, 
enterprising  and  experienced  writers,  and  is  a  credit  to 
the  city  and  its  suburbs,  where  the  patronage  is  very 
extensive. 

During   Centennial    week   the    7  imes    made    special 


efforts  towards  giving  the  people  of  Pawtucket  a  paper 
which  should  be  a  careful  and  well  prepared  report  of 
each  day's  doings,  several  times  issuing  a  twelve  page 
sheet,  and  its  reports  were  as  accurate  in  detail  as  they 
were  creditable  to  its  staff"  of  journalists.  A  large  num- 
ber of  extra  reporters  were  secured  for  the  work. 


Hugh  J.  Carroll,  the  mayor  of  Pawtucket  during  the 
Cotton  Centennial,  is  a  citizen  who  has  taken  much 
interest  in  the  welfare  of  the  city.  He  was  born  in 
Warwick,  R.  I.,  October  29,  1854,  and  after  the  com- 
pletion of  his  education  in  Niagara,  N.  Y.,  and  Mon- 
treal, Canada,  he  entered  upon  the  study  of  law  with 
Sayles  &  Greene,  of  Providence,  an  eminent  legal  firm, 
the  senior  member  of  which  was  at  that  time  attorney- 
general  of  Rhode  Island.  He  commenced  as  a  law 
student  in  1875,  and  in  August,  1877,  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  in  Kent  county.  In  April,  1878,  he  came  to 
Pawtucket  and  began  the  practice  of  law.  He  was  town 
solicitor,  and  represented  Pawtucket  in  the  General 
Assembly  in  1883,  and  several  times  afterwards.  During 
his  service  there  he  introduced,  in  1886,  the  ten-hour 
bill,  and  was  successful  in  securing  its  passage. 

In  1889  Mr.  Carroll  was  elected  mayor  of  Pawtucket 
on  the  democratic  ticket.  He  was  nominated  by  that 
party  in  1886,  but  was  defeated  by  F.  C.  Sayles.  His 
position  brought  him  into  prominence  during  Centenary 
Exhibition  week,  and  no  man  in  the  city  was  more 
interested  in  the  success  of  that  celebration.  Prior  to 
that  he  was  instrumental  in  securing  an  appropriation 
of  $10,000  from  the  General  Assembly  for  the  expenses 
of  Centenary  week,  and  $3,000  for  the  militia,  and  urged 
and  secured  an  appropriation  of  $10,000  more  from 
the  city  government.  During  Mayor  Carroll's  admin- 
istration Walcott  Street  was  opened  up,  widened  and 
extended  across  Hammond's  Pond  and  over  the  Plains, 
making  this  section  two  miles  nearer  the  centre  of  Paw- 
tucket. Mayor  Carroll  strongly  advocated  the  widening 
of  Main  Street  Bridge  and  Main  Street,  looking  towards 
a  better  connection  with  the  East  Side  ;  the  building  of  a 
bridge  across  Hammond's  Pond  as  an  extension  of  Divi- 
sion Street,  for  the  purpose  of  further  developing  that 
section  ;  the  extension  of  the  horse  railroad  into  that  part 
of  the  city  ;  the  improvement  of  Pawtucket  Avenue  as 
far  as  the  city  line  of  Providence,  to  make  it  of  equal 
beauty  with  the  connecting  street  in  Providence ;  the 
widening  of  the  Broad  Street  railroad  crossing  and  Rail- 
road Avenue,  for  the  purpose  of  preventing  the  block- 
ades of  the  steam  and  street  cars,  and  the  scheme  for 
abolishing  the  dangerous  grade  crossings  in  the  city.  An 
engineer  is  already  making  surveys  for  an  improvement 
in  this  respect,  and  an  agreement  has  been  made  between 
the  railroad  corporations  and  the  city  government  for  the 
safety  of  the  citizens.  Mayor  Carroll  advocated  in  his 
inaugural  the  erection  of  a  new  city  hall,  and  it  is 
probable  that  either  a  new  hall  or  an  addition  to  the 
present  quarters  will  add  to  the  convenience  of  the  offi- 
cials and  citizens  of  Pawtucket  within  a  few  years.  The 
advocacy  of  an  enlargement  of  the  present  building  is 
finding  much  favor  at  the  present  time. 


PAWTUCKET  AT  THE  PRESENT  DAY. 


105 


The  boom  which  Pawtucket  has  received  since  its  in- 
corporation as  a  city,  particularly  in  merchandise  traffic 
along  its  principal  streets,  is  due  largely,  perhaps  more 
than  to  any  other  person,  to  H.  Herbert  Sheldon.  To 
those  who  were  familiar  with  the  condition  of  things 
before  Mr.  Sheldon  became  a  resident  it  seems  almost 
marvelous,  reminding  one  more  of  the  growth  of  a 
western  city  than  of  a  staid  New  England  town.  This 
growth,  however,  in  Pawtucket,  is  permanent,  while  the 
rapid  growth  of  these  western  cities  is  often  a  thing  of  a 
day. 

Mr.  Sheldon  came  to  Pawtucket  at  a  time  when  the 
domestic  trade  of  the  city  went  largely  to  Providence. 
It  was  not  from  choice  but  necessity.  The  facilities  of 
the  city  were,  unable  to 
supply  the  demand.  Large 
stores  and  good  stocks  of 
goods  were  few,  and  while 
the  manufacturers  were 
doing  a  prosperous  busi- 
ness and  large  amounts  of 
money  were  put  in  cir- 
culation each  week,  the 
people  were  permitted  to 
leave  their  earnings  else- 
where, because  of  the 
belief  that  the  current  of 
traffic  could  not  be 
changed.  Mr.  Sheldon 
believed  that  the  citizens 
of  Pawtucket  should  do 
their  trading  at  home,  and 
foresaw  that  the  working 
people  in  the  mills,  were 
they  provided  with  good 
stocks  of  goods,  at  as  low 
prices  as  ruled  elsewhere, 
would  liberally  patronize 
home  enterprise  and  con- 
tribute towards  the  pros- 
perity of  the  city.  As 
the  first  step  in  this  direc- 
tion Mr.  Sheldon  pur- 
chased from  the  Fifth 
National  Bank,  of  Provi- 
dence, the  estate  corner 
of  Broad  and  Main  streets, 
associating  with  himself  Messrs.  Whitaker  &  Smith, 
an  enterprising  firm  of  contractors  and  builders,  for  the 
purpose  of  improving  the  estate.  He  also  leased  other 
estates  in  the  vicinity  and  began  the  erection  of  buildings. 
The  stores  which  thus  were  put  on  the  market  were  speed- 
ily taken.  Dealers  realized  that  there  was  something  in 
Sheldon's  scheme,  after  all,  and  they  hastened  to  follow 
the  example,  building  stores  of  their  own,  or  improving 
other  estates,  until  there  was  an  entire  change  in  that  part 
of  the  city.  Mr.  Sheldon's  last  investment  was  the  Wil- 
marth  estate  on  Main  Street,  at  the  foot  of  Dexter,  where 
he  established  the  l^awtucket  Record,  in  1886,  and 
continued  its  publication  until  November  i,  1890,  when 
it  was  sold  to  David  J.  White,  Esq.  Mr.  White  has 


H.  H.  SHELDON, 


FOUNDER  OF  THE  PAWTUCKET  RECORD  AND  REAL  ESTATE  AGENT. 


recently  purchased  the  Central  Falls  Weekly  Visitor,  pub- 
lished for  many  years  by  E.  L.  Freeman,  and  has  consol- 
idated it  with  the  Record. 

As  a  result  Pawtucket  has  as  large  and  finely  equipped 
stores  as  any  city  in  the  State,  and  the  money  has  been 
put  in  circulation  at  home.  This  has  benefited  the  city 
in  many  ways,  and  particularly  in  the  amount  of  taxable 
property,  real  and  personal,  added  to  the  city,  and  in  an 
increased  valuation  of  all  property  within  the  limits  of 
this  enterprise.  Valuations  increased  in  some  cases 
300  per  cent,  with  a  prospect  of  still  further  increase. 

Mr.  Sheldon  is  now  interested  in  pushing  a  street 
railroad  between  Pawtucket  and  Providence,  and  is  as 
determined  in  that  purpose  as  he  was  in  the  development 

of  the  property  on  Main 
Street.  A  charter  has  been 
applied  for,  a  favorable 
report  has  been  obtained 
from  one  Legislature,  and 
there  is  no  doubt  of  its  suc- 
cess. Mr.  Sheldon  was 
born  in  Providence  July 
13,1834.  Having  been  a 
commercial  traveler  for  a 
large  New  York  firm  for 
twenty  years,  during 
which  time  he  invented 
and  secured  patents  on  a 
gas  stove  and  an  adjustable 
gas  burner,  sold  after- 
wards to  the  E.  P.  Gleason 
Manufacturing  Company, 
of  New[York,  he  obtained 
a  business  experience 
which  fitted  him  specially 
for  the  Pawtucket  enter- 
prises. Mr.  Sheldon  is  the 
type  of  a  man  essential  to 
the  prosperity  of  a  city,  his 
opposite  being  too  fre- 
quently seen.  Were  there 
more  of  his  stamp,  pos- 
sessed of  his  foresight  and 
courage,  the  cities  of  New 
England  might  be  for- 
midable rivals  of  those  in 
the  West.  Pawtucket  is 
indebted  greatly  to  him  for  pointing  out  the  methods  of 
advancing  its  interests.  In  years  to  come  the  buildings  may 
be  supplanted  by  more  costly  structures,  but  never  by 
those  which  will  show  a  greater  comparative  progress. 

As  agent  for  the  heirs  of  the  Hoyle  estate  he  has  erected, 
on  the  corner  of  High  and  Cranston  streets,  in  Providence, 
a  large  block  containing  twenty  three  stores  and  forty 
offices.  It  is  also  understood  that  he  is  making  arrange- 
ments, in  connection  with  other  parties,  to  lease  the  pro- 
perty in  Providence,  on  Mathewson  Street,  between 
Westminster  and  Washington  streets,  with  a  view  of 
making  it  similar  to  Winter  Street  in  Boston.  On  account 
of  the  proposed  terminal  facilities  it  is  thought  by  Mr. 
Sheldon  that  the  retail  stores  will  move  in  this  direction. 


106 


THE  COTTON  CENTENNIAL 


The  firm  of  Charles  A.  Luther  &  Company,  situated 
on  Leather  Avenue,  very  near  the  Old  Slater  Mill,  con- 
sists of  William  H.  Peck  and  E.  A.  Burnham.  Mr. 
Peck  is  the  son-in-law  of  Mr.  Luther,  and  the  establish- 
ment of  the  business  dates  back  to  1834,  when  the  old 
Slater  Mill  store  was  utilized  by  Danforth  L.  Peck.  In 
18=59  Mr.  Charles  A.  Luther  assumed  control,  and  the 
industry  was  carried  on  by  him  until  1882,  when  Mr. 
William  H.  Peck  was  admitted  to  partnership  and  the 
firm  became  Charles  A.  Luther  &  Company.  In  1883 
Mr.  Luther  retired,  and  Mr.  Peck  continued.  Mr.  Luther 
invented  many  machines  on  which  he  received  a  patent, 
and  these  have  since  been  the  leading  manufactures  of 
the  establishment.  They  consist  of  thread  dressers,  cloth- 
stretchers,  reels  and  yarn  bank  spoolers,  although  esti- 
mates and  patterns  will  be  furnished  for  other  machinery. 
Mr.  Peck  has  been  in  his  present  quarters  since  1881, 
and  recently  has  been  making  the  Stephens  four-color 
yarn  printing  machine,  the  invention  of  Edward  J. 
Stephens,  of  Pawtucket.  It  prints  three  or  four  colors 
as  desired  at  a  time  on  a  single  yarn,  printing  from  the 
beam  five  hundred  to  one  thousand  threads  at  one  time. 
This  machine  is  in  use  by  the  American  Yarn  Printing 
Company,  which  prints  yarn  for  the  ginghams  made  by 
the  Lorraine  Manufacturing  Company. 

***** 

The  firm  of  George  W.  Payne  &  Company,  manu- 
facturers of  upright  spoolers,  succeeded  to  the  business 
of  James  Arnold,  who  was  the  inventor  and  first  manu- 
facturer of  upright  spoolers  in  America.  The  present 
firm  dates  back  to  1865,  and  has  moved  its  manufactory 
three  times.  Its  first  building  was  in  Jenks'  Lane  ;  then 
a  removal  was  made  to  East  Avenue,  and  February,  1883, 
the  present  building,  on  Broad  Street,  nearly  opposite  the 
railroad  station,  was  occupied.  The  spoolers  made  at 
the  present  time  are  substantially  the  invention  of  Mr. 
Arnold,  with  improvements  from  time  to  time.  All 
kinds  of  spoolers  and  hosiery  winders  are  made  by  the 
firm,  whose  largest  market  is  in  New  York,  though  the 
products  of  its  industry  are  sold  all  over  the  World. 
About  forty  persons  are  employed  in  the  business,  and 
the  demand  is  fully  equal  to  that  of  former  years. 
***** 

A  portion  of  the  old  Slater  Mill  is  occupied  by  the  firm 
of  J.  Crocker  &  Son,  where  is  manufactured  a  line  of 
novelties  in  wire  goods  that  has  developed  into  a  large 
business.  The  firm  started  twenty  years  ago  making 
ornaments  for  coffins  and  caskets,  which  continued  until 
1883,  when  the  manufacture  of  novelties  was  commenced, 
and  there  are  now  made  wire  easels,  banner  stands  and 
goods  of  this  description  for  both  the  holiday  and  general 
trade.  One  of  the  recent  branches  of  industry  developed 
here  is  the  manufacture  of  a  line  of  flexible  goods,  used 
as  coffin  ornaments,  taking  the  place  of  what  is  known 
as  solid  goods.  They  are  made  of  wire,  in  the  form  of 
flowers  and  leaves,  are  adjustable  to  any  moulding,  and 
can  be  used  in  any  shape  or  form.  They  are  meeting 
with  instantaneous  success,  and  the  firm  anticipates  an 
increasing  demand  for  the  goods.  This  line  of  manufac- 
tured article  finds  a  market  all  over  the  country,  and  is 
sold  largely  through  jobbers.  The  firm  started  in  a 


small  building  north  of  its  present  location,  but  finding 
the  room  unequal  to  the  necessities  of  a  growing  industry, 
took  quarters  in  the  Slater  Mill.  There  is  no  limit  to  the 
class  of  goods  that  can  be  produced  from  the  material 
used  by  this  firm,  and  novelties  are  being  originated  con- 
stantly, the  reputation  of  the  firm  commanding  a  ready 
sale  of  such  articles. 

***** 

The  plant  of  the  Rhode  Island  Card  Board  Company, 
situated  on  Exchange  Street,  is  the  outgrowth  of  one  of 
the  early  manufactures  of  Pawtucket  —  the  oldest  estab- 
lishment of  its  kind  in  the  country.  In  1840  Mr.  Ray 
Potter  began  the  manufacture  of  card  board  in  a  small 
room  on  North  Main  Street,  doing  the  pasting  by  hand, 
and  sowing  the  seeds  of  an  industry  which  has  developed 
into  large  proportions  in  different  parts  of  the  country. 
A  little  later,  Mr.  H.  H.  Thomas  became  a  partner  in 
the  firm,  which  was  known  as  H.  H.  Thomas  &  Com- 
pany. Prosperity  attended  the  efforts  of  the  firm,  Henry 
B.  Dexter  purchased  an  interest,  and  the  manufactory  was 
removed  to  new  and  larger  quarters.  Mr.  Thomas 
retired  in  1870,  and  Mr.  George  H.  Clark  was  admitted. 
From  this  date  the  business  was  conducted  under  the 
name  of  the  Rhode  Island  Card  Board  Company,  Messrs. 
Dexter  &  Clark  proprietors.  In  iSSo  the  present  quar- 
ters were  purchased,  a  large  and  substantial  building, 
fully  capable  of  meeting  the  demands  for  the  products  of 
the  concern.  In  1886  an  incorporated  company  was 
formed,  and  in  1889  Messrs.  Dexter  &  Clark  retired 
from  the  management,  and  the  present  proprietors, 
Messrs.  Lowell  Emerson  and  Walter  H.  Stearns,  obtained 
control.  Mr.  Emerson  is  president  and  Mr.  Stearns 
secretary  and  treasurer  of  the  corporation.  Machinery 
is  now  largely  used  for  the  manufacture  of  the  stock, 
which  includes  all  kinds  of  coated  lithographic  board, 
tag  stock,  and  the  various  grades  of  card  board  used  by 
lithographers  and  printers  in  their  business.  About  fifty 
people  find  employment  here,  and  the  company  finds  a 
market  for  its  goods  in  all  parts  of  the  country,  in  South 
America  and  in  Canada.  The  reputation  of  the  card 
board  made  in  this  establishment  has  always  been  high, 
and  it  is  the  purpose  of  the  present  management  to  fully 
maintain  it.  The  large  growth  of  business  in  this  country 
has  made  the  manufacture  of  card  board  one  of  the 
important  branches  of  industry. 

***** 

With  the  exception  of  the  manufacture  of  belt  leather, 
which  was  needed  for  use  in  the  mills,  the  leather  indus- 
try has  been  a  very  small  one  in  Pawtucket.  A  few 
firms  have  done  a  successful  business  in  making  lace  and 
picker  leather  and  different  grades  of  belting  and  harness 
leather.  Among  these  may  be  noticed  the  firm  of 
Weatherhead,  Thompson  &  Company,  which  was  es- 
tablished in  1857.  The  belting  made  by  this  concern  is 
manufactured  from  oak  tanned  leather,  and  has  found  a 
market  in  all  parts  of  the  country.  In  addition  to  this 
industry  the  firm  has  made  cotton  spools  in  large  quan- 
tities in  connection  with  its  other  business  —  a  combina- 
tion which  is  not  explainable  by  any  natural  law,  but 
which  has  brought  the  firm  into  considerable  notoriety 
on  account  of  its  enterprise. 


PAWTUCKET  AT  THE  PRESENT  DAY. 


107 


The  buying  and  selling  of  real  estate  has  been  an 
important  business  in  the  growth  which  Pawtucket  has 
had  within  the  last  decade.  There  have  been  some  large 
transactions,  many  of  which  have  inured  to  great  profit 
to  the  purchasers.  In  their  consummation  the  advice  of 
the  real  estate  agent,  who  is  familiar  with  values  and 
gifted  with  natural  foresight,  is  often  of  inestimable 
value.  Among  the  dealers  in  real  estate  there  is  none 
more  reliable  in  judgment,  or  whose  experience  is  more 
far  reaching  than  Charles  A.  Warland,  whose  office  is  at 
the  present  time  situated  at  No.  56  East  Avenue.  Mr. 
Warland  was  born  in  Cambridge,  Mass.,  in  1830,  his 
family  being  one  of  the  oldest  in  that  historic  place. 
Mr.  Warland's  father  inherited  the  old  homestead  which 
had  been  erected  several  generations  before  his  time, 
which  he  sold  in  1810,  and  erected  several  buildings  on 
Appian  Way  and  Brattle  Street,  in  one  of  which  he  lived 
when  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born.  Mr.  Warland 
was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Cambridge,  and 
served  an  apprenticeship  in  the  commission  business  with 
Charles  Wilkins  &  Company  on  Long  Wharf,  in  Bos- 
ton. In  1856  he  came  to  Pawtucket,  and  in  1857  became 
connected  with  the  machine  business  in  the  shop  of  James 
S.  Brown,  continuing  there  several  years.  In  1868,  Mr. 
Warland  became  interested  in  buying  and  selling  real 
estate,  and  opened  an  office  in  Almy's  Block,  near  the 
bridge — the  first  real  estate  office  opened  in  Pawtucket. 
He  remained  here  six  years,  and  removed  to  his  present 
location  on  East  Avenue,  where  he  has  been  for  sixteen 
years. 

Mr.  Warland's  business  has  been  largely  that  of  a  real 
estate  broker,  making  purchases  and  sales  entirely  for 
other  people.  He  has  been  also  auctioneer,  notary 
public,  and  insurance  agent  during  this  time,  and  has 
been  commissioner  for  the  State  of  Massachusetts  since 
1872,  having  received  his  first  appointment  from  Gov- 
ernor William  B.  Washburn.  He  was  on  the  board  of 
assessors  of  Pawtucket  in  1874,  at  the  time  of  the  con- 
solidation with  North  Providence,  and  was  a  member  of 
the  town  council  before  Pawtucket  became  a  city.  Mr. 
Warland's  experience  in  real  estate  transactions  has  been 
large,  and  he  has  been  called  upon  by  the  court  as  one 
of  the  commissioners  for  the  division  of  many  large 
estates,  among  which  may  be  mentioned  the  Weeden 
estate,  situated  in  Pawtucket  and  Lincoln.  As  general 
appraiser,  his  judgment  is  considered  very  reliable,  and 
he  is  appointed  frequently  as  commissioner  in  the  inter- 
est of  the  city  in  the  widening  and  extension  of  streets. 
In  the  matter  of  the  readjustment  of  the  boundary  line 
between  Massachusetts  and  Rhode  Island  Mr.  Warland 
took  a  prominent  part,  and  was  efficient  in  securing  an 
equitable  adjustment  of  the  boundary.  During  the  war 
he  was  active  in  obtaining  subscriptions  for  the  relief  of 
the  soldiers  and  their  families,  and  for  assisting  the 
recruits  to  enter  the  service  of  the  country.  He  has  in 
his  possession  an  old  subscription  paper  containing  the 
names,  with  the  amount  subscribed,  of  Pawtucket's  most 
honored  citizens,  and  the  sums  collected  were  mostly 
disbursed  by  Mr.  Warland  at  that  time.  In  all  his  busi- 
ness transactions  he  has  served  his  patrons  honorably 
and  faithfully,  and  this  confidence  in  his  integrity  has  led 


C.  A.  WARLAND, 

REAL    ESTATE    AGENT,    PAWTUCKET. 

to  his  appointment  as  administrator  and  executor  of  many 
estates,  as  well  as  being  entrusted  with  the  investment  of 
securities.  He  is  corresponding  member  of  the  Ameri- 
can Real  Estate  Association,  whose  principal  office  is  in 
Memphis,  Tenn.  He  is  doing  a  large  and  successful 
business,  and  numbers  among  his  patrons  the  best  citizens 
of  the  city  and  its  vicinity. 


The  "Old  Brown  Machine  Shop,"  as  it  is  familiarly 
called,  at  the  corner  of  Main  and  Pine  streets,  was  built 
by  James  S.  Brown,  the  father  of  the  present  proprietor, 
in  1842.  Mr.  Brown,  senior,  began  work  at  an  early 
age  with  Pitcher  &  Gay,  then  the  largest  machinists  in 
Pawtucket.  In  1824,  Mr.  Gay  retired  and  Mr.  Brown, 
who  had  proved  himself  a  competent  mechanic,  was 
admitted  to  partnership.  The  firm  became  Pitcher  & 
Brown  until  1842,  when  Mr.  Brown  assumed  the  entire 
control  and  erected  the  building  which  still  bears  his 
name.  Mr.  Brown  was  an  inventor,  and  a  large  number 
of  the  machines  in  the  present  shop  were  made  by  him. 
James  Brown,  the  present  proprietor,  became  a  member 
of  the  firm  shortly  before  his  father  died  in  1879,  and 
since  that  time  has  had  entire  management  of  the  busi- 
ness. Cotton  mules  and  speeders  are  made  by  Mr. 
Brown,  as  in  former  years,  but  cordage  machinery,  a 
large  proportion  of  which  is  sent  West,  has  been  a 
specialty  of  late  years. 


108 


THE  COTTON  CENTENNIAL. 


FRANK  M.  BATES, 

OF     N.     BATES     &    SON,     ORATOR    AT    THE     DEDICATION    OF    THE     COLLYER 
MONUMENT. 

Colonel  Frank  M.  Bates,  the  junior  partner  of  the  firm 
of  N.  Bates  &  Son,  is  prominently  identified  with  the 
prosperity  of  Pawtucket,  and  is  one  of  the  city's  enter- 
prising and  public  spirited  citizens.  He  is  a  native  of 
that  city  and  a  graduate  of  its  public  schools.  After 
graduating,  he  obtained  employment  with  the  firm  of 
'Gorham  Company  &  Brown,  of  Providence.  Continu- 
ing here  nearly  two  years,  he  returned  to  Pawtucket, 
entered  the  employ  of  N.  Bates  &  Company,  which  then 
consisted  of  his  father,  N.  Bates,  and  William  B.  Bates. 
In  1866  the  latter  retired,  and  the  subject  of  this  sketch 
was  admitted  to  partnership  with  his  father,  where  he 
continues  business  at  the  present  time. 

Colonel  Bates'  military  experience  dates  from  the  for- 
mation of  the  Pawtucket  Horse  Guards  in  1863.  He  was 
one  of  its  earliest  members,  and  its  commander  in  1868- 
69.  On  the  election  of  Governor  Bourn,  in  1884,  he  was 
offered  an  appointment  on  the  Governor's  staff",  which 
was  declined.  In  1885  Governor  Bourn  appointed  Col- 
onel Bates  a  member  of  his  staff,  to  represent  Rhode 
Island  on  the  staff  of  General  Philip  H.  Sheridan  at  the 
dedication  of  the  Washington  Monument,  February  22, 
1885.  Colonel  Bates  was  a  member  of  the  school  board 
of  the  old  town  of  Pawtucket  for  two  years,  and  was  a 
member  of  the  lower  branch  of  the  General  Assembly 
from  1879  to  1882,  being  a  member  of  the  committee  on 
military  affairs,  and  its  chairman  during  the  last  two 
years.  In  1884  he  was  delegate  at  large  from  Rhode 
Island  to  the  National  Republican  Convention  in  Chi- 
cago, which  nominated  Blaine,  and  was  the  only  Blaine 
man  on  the  delegation.  During  the  Centenary  celebra- 
tion Colonel  Bates  was  chief  of  staff" on  Military  day,  and 


delivered  the  oration  on  Saturday  at  the  dedication  of  the 
Collyer  Monument.  For  many  years  he  has  been  fire 
correspondent  for  the  Gazette  and  Chronicle,  and  has 
been  at  various  other  times  the  correspondent  for  that 
paper  and  the  Daily  Times.  He  is  also  secretary  and 
treasurer  of  the  Veteran  Firemen's  Association.  Colonel 
Bates'  great-grandfather,  on  his  mother's  side,  Amariah 
Marsh,  was  a  teacher  in  Slater's  Sunday-school,  and  the 
family  since  that  time  has  been  directly  connected  with 
the  First  Baptist  Church,  Colonel  Bates  having  been  a 
teacher  in  the  Sunday-school  for  twenty-seven  years. 
***** 

Hon.  Almon  K.  Goodwin,  the  present  mayor  of  Paw- 
tucket, was  elected  in  the  fall  of  1890  for  the  third  time 
since  its  incorporation  as  a  city,  after  a  close  contest 
which  demonstrated  his  great  popularity  with  its  citizens. 
With  another  candidate  the  republican  party  was  defeated 
in  the  city  election  the  previous  year  ;  but  under  the  vigor- 
ous lead  of  Mayor  Goodwin  it  regained  its  former  stand- 
ing. 

.  Almon  K.  Goodwin  was  born  in  South  Berwick, 
Maine,  March  27,  1839;  was  educated  in  its  public 
schools  and  in  the  South  Berwick  Academy,  where  he 
was  fitted  for  college.  Having  determined  to  adopt  the 
medical  profession,  he  relinquished  the  idea  of  a  collegiate 
course,  and  came  at  once  to  Pawtucket  to  study  in  the 
office  of  Dr.  Clapp.  Finding  the  practice  of  medicine 
not  congenial  to  his  tastes,  he  engaged  in  the  wholesale 
flour  and  commission  business  in  Providence,  which  he 
continued  until  1887. 

Mayor  Goodwin  was  early  interested  in  politics,  and 
has  been  identified  with  the  republican  party  from  its 
origin,  and  more  or  less  prominent  in  its  councils.  His 
eloquent  advocacy  of  its  principles  on  the  stump  and 
elsewhere  secured  for  him  immediate  notice,  and  he  was 
chairman  of  the  republican  town  committee  of  Paw- 
tucket for  many  years  prior  to  its  incorporation  as  a  city, 
and  continued  as  chairman  of  the  city  committee  until 
his  election  as  mayor.  He  has  been  chairman  of  the 
republican  state  central  committee  for  a  number  of  years 
—  a  position  which  he  holds  to-day.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  General  Assembly  from  Pawtucket  in  1875-76,  and 
again  in  1882,  during  which  time  he  was  chairman  of  the 
House  committee  on  militia,  and  a  member  of  the  com- 
mittee on  corporations.  In  1880,  he  was  a  delegate  to 
the  republican  national  convention  which  nominated 
James  A.  Garfield  for  president.  Mayor  Goodwin  was 
auditor  of  the  town  and  city  of  Pawtucket  for  many 
years  until  he  was  chosen  to  the  mayoralty  office,  and  in 
May,  1887,  he  was  elected  by  the  General  Assembly 
state  auditor  for  the  year  ensuing.  He  succeeded  Hon.  F. 
C.  Sayles  as  mayor  of  Pawtucket  in  1888,  and  was  re- 
elected  by  the  largest  majority  ever  given  to  a  candidate 
for  this  office.  In  1889,  Charles  A.  Lee  was  nominated 
by  the  republican  party  and  defeated,  and  in  1 890,  the  party 
again  looked  to  Mayor  Goodwin  as  its  standard  bearer — 
every  ward  in  the  city  choosing  delegates  in  his  favor,  thus 
ensuring  his  unanimous  nomination.  He  carried  the 
election  by  a  handsome  vote.  He  is  interested  in  the 
improvement  and  prosperity  of  the  city,  has  been  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Business  Men's  Association  from  its  inception, 


PAWTUCKET  AT  THE  PRESENT  DAY. 


109 


of  which  he  is  its  first  vice-president,  and  on  his  election 
as  mayor  he  advocated  the  widening  of  High  Street,  a 
work  of  great  importance  to  Pawtucket.  In  accordance 
with  his  recommendation,  the  widening  was  ordered  by 
the  city  council,  but  has  not  as  yet  been  fully  completed. 
Mayor  Goodwin  has  been  prominently  identified  with 
the  state  militia,  arid  was  a  member  of  the  staff  of  Major- 
Generals  Horace  Daniels  and  William  R.  Walker — in 
all  about  eleven  years.  In  June,  1889,  he  was  appointed 
by  Governor  Ladd  commissioner  of  the  bureau  of  sta- 
tistics of  Rhode  Island,  for  two  years.  September  16, 
1858,  Mayor  Goodwin  married  Sarah  Margaret,  daugh- 
ter of  John  C.  Tower  of  Pawtucket,  whose  son,  Captain 
Levi  Tower,  was  killed  in  the  first  battle  of  Bull  Run, 
fighting  valiantly  in  his  country's  service. 

***** 

The  manufacture  of  knitting  cotton,  which  has  always 
been  more  or  less  an  active  industry  in  Pawtucket,  was 
begun  by  Captain  N.  G.  B.  Dexter,  who  came  to  the  town 
in  1799,  crossing  the  bridge  to  see  the  erection  of  the 
frame  of  the  second  cotton  mill  which  was  built  in  Paw- 
tucket. Captain  Dexter  entered  the  employ  of  Almy, 
Brown  &  Slater,  and  in  1820  began  the  manufacture  of 
knitting  cotton.  Captain  Dexter  died  in  1866,  and  his 
successors  continued  the  manufacture  under  the  style  of 
Dexter  Brothers  until  1880,  when  it  became  an  incor- 
porated company  —  the  Dexter  Yarn  Company.  Cotton 
yarns  of  different  kinds  and  knitting  cotton  put  up  in 
boxes  have  been  the  principal  products  of  the  manufac- 
tory. The  knitting  cotton  has  not  been  sold  in  Boston 
market  since  1882,  but  has  a  large  sale  in  New  York 
and  the  West.  One  hundred  and  eighty  people  are 
employed  by  the  company. 

***** 

R.  A.  Butler,  who  has  been  manufacturing  lace  and 
belt  leather  in  Pawtucket  for  ten  years  or  more,  has 
made  a  considerable  change  within  the  past  year,  and  is 
finishing  colored  kid  and  morocco.  This  establishment 
was  known  as  the  Star  Tanning  Company  a  few  years 
since,  but  Mr.  Butler  is  at  present  conducting  the  busi- 
ness under  his  own  name.  Before  coming  to  Pawtucket 
Mr.  Butler  was  in  business  in  Attleboro'.  About  thirty- 
three  dozen  per  week  is  the  present  product  in  the 
morocco  line,  and  he  is  the  only  manufacturer  in  Paw- 
tucket of  that  class  of  goods. 

*  *  »  *  * 

The  exhibit  of  the  manufacturers  and  tradesmen  in 
Machinery  Hall  in  Pawtucket,  during  Centennial  week, 
was  a  very  important  part  of  the  celebration.  It  was  the 
central  point  of  attraction  to  the  visitors,  and  so  suc- 
cessful from  every  point  of  view  that  the  exhibit  was 
continued  another  week  —  the  receipts  being  exceedingly 
satisfactory  and  fully  justifying  the  wisdom  of  the  com- 
mittee in  extending  the  time.  Of  this  committee  George 
Mabbett  was  chairman,  and  this  part  of  the  Centennial 
was  controlled  by  the  Manufacturers'  Association,  through 
its  committee,  independent  of  the  work  of  the  city 
government.  Mr.  Mabbett  is  an  Englishman,  but  com- 
ing to  this  country  at  a  very  early  age,  he  considers 
himself  a  thorough  American  in  every  sense  of  the  word. 
He  was  born  in  1849,  at  Trowbridge  in  Wiltshire  in  the 


west  of  England,  and  came  to  America  with  his  parents 
in  1854,  settling  in  Westerly,  R.  I.  Here  he  attended 
the  public  schools  until  the  age  of  ten  years,  when  he 
was  compelled,  being  the  oldest  child  in  the  family,  to 
enter  the  mills  and  begin  work.  During  this  time,  all 
the  education  he  obtained  was  from  the  night  schools 
and  his  studies  at  home,  after  the  work  of  the  day  in  the 
mill  had  been  completed.  He  was  an  apt  student,  both 
in  his  books  and  in  the  mill,  and  at  the  age  of  17,  in 
1867,  he  had  charge  of  a  weaving  room  in  the  woolen 
mills  at  Mystic,  Conn.  Here  he  remained  until  1875, 
when  he  was  appointed  superintendent  of  the  Wequonuk 
Mills  Company  at  Occum,  Conn.,  and  in  the  fall  of  1876 
was  chosen  agent  of  the  Millbrooke  Woolen  Company  in 
South  Coventry,  Conn.  During  his  service  here,  Mr. 
Huntington,  who  was  one  of  the  largest  owners,  died, 
and  the  estate  was  closed  up.  Mr.  Mabbett  went  there- 
fore to  North  Adams,  Mass.,  as  manager  of  the  Glen 
Woolen  Company  of  that  place.  This  was  in  January, 
1878.  After  Mr.  Mabbett  had  been  at  North  Adams  one 
year  he  purchased  one-fourth  interest  in  the  company, 
and  here  he  remained  as  part  owner  and  manager  until 
January,  1885,  at  which  time  he  owned  one-third  of  the 
property.  The  mill  was  burned,  and  March  i,  1885,  he 
came  to  the  Central  Falls  Woolen  Mills,  having  been 
manager  and  superintendent  until  January  i,  1891,  when 
he  resigned  to  take  a  position  as  agent  of  the  Mineral 
Springs  Manufacturing  Company  in  Stafford  Springs, 
Conn.  The  Central  Falls  Woolen  Company,  with 
which  he  has  been  connected  recently,  has  prospered 
greatly  during  Mr.  Mabbett's  connection  with  it,  employ- 
ing 175  people,  and  doing  an  annual  business  of  $350,- 
ooo,  making  fancy  cassimeres,  worsteds,  cheviots  and 
Venetian  cloths.  It  is  an  incorporated  company  and  has 
been  manufacturing  these  goods  for  nineteen  years. 
Mr.  Mabbett  has  been  a  member  of  the  Business  Men's 
Association  of  Pawtucket,  was  interested  in  the  suc- 
cess of  the  manufacturers'  exhibition,  and  being  chair- 
man of  that  committee  took  a  prominent  part  in  carry- 
ing out  the  details  which  led  to  such  an  enthusiastic  re- 
sponse from  the  citizens.  He  presided  at  the  formal 
opening  of  the  exhibition  hall,  and  had  the  satisfaction 
of  presenting  to  the  citizens  such  an  exhibit  of  the  pro- 
ducts of  the  manufactures  of  Pawtucket  and  vicinity  as 
had  never  before  been  witnessed  in  that  place. 

***** 

The  growth  and  present  prosperity  of  the  industry  con- 
ducted by  the  Perry  Oil  Company  is  another  illustration 
of  the  diversified  character  of  the  business  of  Pawtucket. 
The  Perry  Oil  Company  started  in  a  small  way,  and  with 
varying  success,  in  Providence,  in  1878.  Its  three 
specialties  were  harness  soap,  harness  oil  and  axle  oil. 
In  1879,  Reuben  K.  Miller  purchased  the  plant  and 
removed  it  to  the  present  location,  101  Exchange  Street, 
Pawtucket,  retaining,  however,  the  old  name  under 
which  the  business  had  at  first  been  carried  on.  Mr. 
Miller  continued  the  manufacture  of  the  soaps  and  oil  for 
harnesses,  and  later  added  that  of  lubricating  and  machine 
oils.  The  business  increased  entirely  on  the  merits  of 
the  goods,  no  traveling  .salesmen  being  employed,  and 
Mr.  Miller  doing  but  little  in  soliciting  trade.  The  harness 


110 


THE  COTTON    CENTENNIAL 


soap  and  oil  soon  found  a  ready  market  from  Maine  to 
California,  and  later  in  South  America,  Australia  and 
Europe.  In  1888,  after  ten  years  of  practical  experience, 
and  with  the  assistance  of  the  most  eminent  chemists  in 
the  state,  Mr.  Miller  made  a  decided  improvement  in  the 
quality  of  the  goods,  and  obtained  the  trade  mark  of 
Champion,  under  which  name  the  entire  product  of  har- 
ness oil  soap  is  now  sold.  The  trade  in  lubricating  oils 
had  also  increased.  Mr.  Miller  has  for  several  years  sup- 
plied the  large  establishments  of  Pawtucket  and  vicinity 
with  their  needs  in  this  direction,  and  this  trade  has  also 
been  built  up  on  the  merits  of  the  oils,  and  without  any 
solicitation  on  the  part  of  the  Perry  Oil  Company. 
From  small  beginnings,  by  strict  attention  to  the  details  of 
the  industry,  and  an  endeavor  to  furnish  a  superior 
article,  Mr.  Miller  has  found  that  his  business  has  rapidly 
developed  within  a  few  years,  and  in  December,  1890, 
George  T.  Greenhalgh  was  admitted  as  partner.  Mr. 
Greenhalgh  has  had  a  long  and  extensive  experience  in 
supplying  lubricating  oils  to  the  most  important  establish- 
ments in  different  parts  of  New  England,  and  devotes  his 
attention  entirely  to  this  branch  of  the  business,  while 
Mr.  Miller  retains  the  management  of  the  manufacture 
of  harness  soap  and  oil.  The  amount  of  business  done 
in  1890  was  three  times  as  great  as  that  of  the  preceding 
year,  and  the  company  anticipates  a  proportionate  in- 
crease in  the  future.  It  is  the  only  establishment  of  its 
kind  in  Pawtucket. 

***** 

The  machine  shop  of  Moncrief,  McLay  &  Company, 
situated  in  the  rear  of  56  East  Avenue,  was  originally 
started  to  make  repairs  and  build  the  machinery  for  the 
boats  of  the  Pawtucket  Steamboat  Company.  Since 
1880,  this  firm  has  been  interested  in  the  steamboat 
excursion  business;  in  1885,  an  incorporated  company 
was  formed  under  the  style  of  the  Pawtucket  Steam- 
boat Company,  of  which  Mr.  Moncrief  is  general  man- 
ager. The  two  steamers  of  the  company  are  chartered 
in  the  summer  time  by  Sunday-schools,  private  or 
excursion  parties  for  trips  down  the  bay,  for  moonlights, 
or  other  purposes.  Sundays,  hourly  excursions  are  made 
to  Bullock's  Point,  and  on  other  days  when  the  boats  are 
not  chartered  by  outside  parties.  Each  boat  will  accom- 
modate about  five  hundred  passengers.  A  new  steamer 
has  been  added  to  the  line  within  a  year,  and  all  the 
machinery  was  built  by  Moncrief,  McLay  &  Company,  at 
their  shop  on  East  Avenue.  Mr.  Moncrief,  previous  to 
1888,  was  master  mechanic  at  the  Dunnell  Print  Works, 
and  had  been  in  the  employ  of  that  corporation  more  than 
twenty  years.  He  is  a  practical  machinist  and  has  been 
at  work  for  some  time  in  perfecting  a  friction  pulley. 
***** 

Henry.  E.  Tiepke,  the  chairman  of  the  city  council 
cotton  centenary  committee,  was  born  in  Pawtucket, 
Marchzi,  1857.  After  an  education  in  the  public  schools, 
he  began  work  at  the  Dunnell  Print  Works,  shortly 
after  engaging  himself  with  George  Mumford  &  Com- 
pany, hardware  dealers  On  the  retirement  of  this  firm 
from  business  Mr.  Tiepke  connected  himself  with  Sar- 
gent &  Company,  of  New  York,  the  largest  wholesale 
hardware  house  in  America,  but  soon  returned  to  Paw- 


tucket, where  he  became  clerk  to  the  superintendent  of 
the  foundry  department  in  the  establishment  of  Fales  & 
Jenks.  Later  he  was  employed  by  the  James  Hill  Manu- 
facturing Company,  of  Providence,  and  has  been  for  ten 
years  New  England  Manager  for  the  Iron  Clad  Manu- 
facturing Company,  of  New  York. 

Mr.  Tiepke  became  interested  in  politics  as  soon  as  he 
was  able  to  vote.  His  first  office  was  that  of  district 
clerk  of  the  town  of  Pawtucket,  on  the  east  side.  After- 
wards he  was  district  warden,  and  on  the  organization  of 
the  city  in  1885,  he  became  warden  of  the  first  district. 
In  the  fall  of  1887,  he  was  elected  to  the  Common 
Council,  serving  in  1888-89-90,  and  was  elected  alder- 
man for  the  year  1891.  In  the  Council  he  advocated 
municipal  lighting  by  electricity,  a  measure  which  passed 
both  bodies,  but  was  vetoed  by  the  Mayor.  As  a  result, 
however,  of  the  agitation,  the  Gas  Company  made  a 
considerable  reduction  in  the  price  of  electric  lights  for 
the  city.  Mr.  Tiepke  introduced  the  resolution  request- 
ing the  General  Assembly  to  apply  the  Australian  ballot 
to  the  city  elections  in  Pawtucket,  which  was  granted, 
and  he  was  also  instrumental  in  establishing  an  ordinance 
requiring  contractors  for  city  work  to  submit  bids.  He 
organized  the  Garfield  Club,  and  has  been  its  president 
from  the  beginning.  He  introduced  the  resolution  that 
originated  the  city  council  centenary  committee,  of  which 
he  was  elected  chairman.  Mr.  Tiepke  filled  this  position 
which  required  much  time,  patience,  and  attention  to 
details,  with  great  satisfaction  to  the  people  of  Pawtucket 
and  credit  to  himself,  and  in  the  conduct  of  its  difficult 
duties  developed  good  administrative  ability. 
***** 

In  the  Record  Building,  No.  330  Main  Street,  is  sit- 
uated the  printing  office  of  John  W.  Little  &  Company. 
It  is  well  fitted  with  the  most  modern  facilities  for  the 
execution  of  book  and  job  printing  and  the  proprietors  have 
given  abundant  evidence  of  their  practical  knowledge. 
The  firm  has  done  the  city  printing  for  some  time,  and 
during  Centennial  week,  at  the  different  banquets  given, 
there  were  printed  by  J.  W.  Little  &  Company  some  very 
tasteful  and  unique  souvenir  menus. 

***** 

The  original  plant  of  the  Home  Bleach  and  Dye 
Works,  which  is  now  controlled  by  Peter  B.  McManus, 
was  formerly  owned  by  the  Union  Wadding  Company. 
The  old  mill  had  been  used  for  a  variety  of  purposes. 
When  the  Wadding  Company  fitted  it  up  for  bleaching 
raw  cotton,  a  few  years  after,  Mr.  McManus  was  em- 
ployed as  manager  of  this  Union  Wadding  Bleachery 
and  continued  in  that  capacity  for  three  years.  During 
his  management  the  present  name  of  the  plant  was 
given  to  it,  and  another  building  was  erected  for  the 
dyeing  of  cotton  yarns  and  spool  thread,  a  business  with 
which  Mr.  McManus  was  very  familiar.  The  demand 
for  this  class  of  work  became  very  large,  and  in  1884 
the  Union  Wadding  Company  sold  the  plant  to  Mr. 
McManus,  under  whose  very  able  management  the 
establishment  has  obtained  a  high  reputation  for  the 
quality  of  its  work.  About  one  year  ago,  Mr.  McManus 
leased  the  new  dye  house,  in  Valley  Falls,  belonging  to 
the  Valley  Falls  Company,  which  contained  all  the 


PAWTUCKET  AT  THE  PRESENT  DAY. 


Ill 


modern  improvements  for  the  dyeing  of  cotton, 
and  both  manufactories  are  at  this  time  under 
his  control.  The  new  plant  is  270x75,  con- 
tains three  Sullivan  boilers,  one  forty  horse- 
power engine  and  five  smaller  ones,  and  the 
old  plant  has  two  Sullivan  boilers  and  one 
seventy-five  horse-power  engine.  The  two 
mills  combined  have  a  capacity  for  turning  out 
17,000  pounds  of  finished  yarn  per  day,  and 
give  employment  to  about  seventy  people. 

*  *  »  * 

The  William  H.  Haskell  Company,  located 
at  277  Main  Street,  does  a  business  in  the 
manufacture  of  its  different  varieties  of  bolts 
and  screws  that  has  made  it  one  of  the  most 
successful  industries  in  Pawtucket.  Mr.  Her- 
vey  Pinkham,  who  was  associated  with  Mr. 
Haskell,  the  present  proprietor,  was  in  former 
years  a  partner  with  Col.  Stephen  Jenks,  who 
began  the  business  in  1820,  and  was  the  fiist 
man  in  Pawtucket  to  introduce  cold  punching 
from  bar  and  sheet  iron.  The  industry  has 
grown  from  year  to  year,  and  many  of  the 
classes  of  goods  manufactured  were  first  made 
in  this  country  by  the  firm.  It  has  been  nec- 
essary to  compete  with  foreign  makes,  but  the 
industry  and  perseverance  of  Mr.  Haskell, 
added  to  the  high  standard  which  has  been 
attained  in  the  manufacture  of  every  article 
turned  out  at  the  shop,  has  largely  removed 
this  competition.  All  the  different  kinds  of 
screws,  many  peculiar  shaped  bolt  heads,  often 
a  matter  of  great  importance,  are  manufactured 
here,  and  the  greatest  care  is  exercised  that 
superior  excellence  may  be  obtained.  New 
tools  and  machinery  have  been  necessary,  but  all  these 
demands  have  been  met,  to  the  advantage  of  the  com- 
pany ;  and  the  goods  made  here  find  their  way  into  the 
markets  of  the  old  world,  and  are  favorably  known  in 


CHARLES  A.  LEE, 

EDITOR    AND    PROPRIETOR   OF   THE    PAWTUCKET   GAZETTE    AND  CHRONICLE. 

ber  13,  1 88 1,  Mr.    Lee   became  sole  proprietor,  and  has 
continued  to  the  present  time. 

The  paper  has  several  times,  been  enlarged  and  im- 
proved.    Of  late  years  it  has  been  a  nine  column  folio, 


all  parts  of  this  country.     The  officers  of  the   company      31  x  48,  until  January   i,  1891,  when  it  was  issued  as  an 


are  William  H.  Haskell,  president;  Edmund  S.  Mason, 
treasurer ;  D.  A.  Hunt,  agent. 

*  *  »  »  * 

The  Pawtucket  Gazette  and  Chronicle,  edited  and 
published  by  Charles  A.  Lee,  is  the  oldest  paper  in  Paw- 
tucket, and  is  the  result  of  a  consolidation  of  two  papers, 
the  Chronicle,  which  was  first  printed  November  12, 
1825,  and  the  Gazette,  whose  first  number  was  issued 
August  3,  1838.  The  Chronicle  was  started  by  John 
C.  Harwbod,  and  continued  under  various  changes  and 
vicissitudes  until  1839,  when  it  was  purchased  by  Sher- 
man &  Kinnicutt,  who  had  the  year  previous  begun  the 
publication  of  the  Gazette.  Under  this  management  the 
Gazette  and  Chronicle  prospered,  and  continued  until 
1864,  when  Ansel  D.  Nickerson  became  a  partner,  and 
in  1870  Mr.  Nickerson  and  John  S.  Sibley  were  sole 
proprietors.  Meantime  Mr.  Lee  had  been  in  the  employ 
of  the  firm,  was  admitted  a  partner  in  1875,  and  in  1878 
purchased  Mr.  Nickerson's  interest  and  assumed  editorial 
control  of  the  paper.  The  firm  was  then  Sibley  &  Lee, 


eight-page  paper,  following  the  example  of  more  modern 
newspapers.  Mr.  Lee  is  a  practical  printer,  a  competent 
writer  and  journalist  and  a  thorough  business  man.  Under 
his  management  the  Gazette  and  Chronicle  has  attained 
a  high  reputation  not  confined  to  its  local  limitations,  and 
Editor  Lee  is  exceedingly  popular  among  his  editorial 
brethren,  as  well  as  in  Pawtucket.  He  is  a  ready 
speaker,  a  good  parliamentarian,  has  been  president  01 
the  Suburban  Press  Association  and  the  National  Edi- 
torial Association,  and  prominently  identified  with  local 
associations  and  societies. 

*  «  *  »  * 

The  manufacture  of  hosiery  has  proved  a  successful 
enterprise  in  Pawtucket,  and  the  plant  of  the  Rhode 
Island  Hosiery  Company,  in  Central  Falls,  is  one  of  the 
youngest  in  the  vicinity.  Two  years  ago,  Oscar  A. 
Newell,  the  treasurer  and  manager  of  this  corporation, 
bought  out  Oliver  H.  Hathaway,  who  was  doing  a 
business  of  some  five  or  six  dozen  per  day,  and  formed 
an  incorporated  company  of  which  he  is  the  largest 


and  on  the  death  of  Mr.  Sibley,  which  took  place  Septem-      stockholder.     Mr.  Newell   had   no   experience    in    the 


112 


THE  COTTON   CENTENNIAL. 


OSCAR  A.  NEWELL, 

TREASURER    OF    THE    RHODE    ISLAND   HOSIERY   COMPANY. 

manufacture  of  hosiery,  having  been  associated  with  his 
father,  William  Newell,  in  Central  Falls,  for  fifteen 
years,  under  the  name  of  William  Newell  &  Son.  This 
firm  had  a  large  brass  foundry  at  this  place,  which  was 
carrying  on  a  successful  business,  taking  extensive  con- 
tracts, one  of  which  with  the  Providence  Water  Works 
was  filled  during  the  time  of  Oscar  A.  Newell's  association 
with  the  firm.  Mr.  Newell  left  the  foundry  on  account 
of  ill-health,  engaging  in  the  manufacture  of  jewelry 
until  he  purchased  the  hosiery  plant  which  he  now 
carries  on.  He  has  made  a  success  of  every  business 
which  he  has  undertaken,  and  the  product  of  the  Rhode 
Island  Hosiery  Company  has  increased  from  the  small 
proportions  of  six  dozen  to  one  hundred  dozen  per  week, 
within  two  years.  A  specialty  is  made  of  a  fast  black 
cotton  hose  —  the  dyeing  for  which  is  done  on  the  premises 
—  and  children's  and  misses'  hosiery  is  the  principal  pro- 
duction of  the  factory.  These  goods  are  of  medium 
quality  and  are  sold  largely  in  the  New  York  market. 
The  company  occupies  at  present  two  floors  in  a  building 
controlled  by  Mr.  Newell,  and  an  increase  in  the  capital 
stock  of  the  company  is  contemplated,  with  the  intent  of 
further  developing  the  business,  manufacturing  woolen 
hosiery  and  finer  grades,  and  occupy  ing  the  entire  building. 
About  forty-five  people  find  employment  here — many  of 
them  women,  and  the  wages  paid  by  Mr.  Newell  enables 
him  to  secure  the  best  class  of  labor.  The  work  is  done 
by  the  piece,  and  some  of  the  girls  earn  from  $1.80  to 
$2.00  per  day. 

Mr.  Newell  was  born  in  Cumberland,  and  came  to 


Central  Falls  in  1847,  where  he  has  since  resided.  He 
has  been  interested  in  public  affairs  to  a  large  extent,  and 
was  chosen  for  six  years  one  of  the  firewards  of  Central 
Falls  district,  was  one  of  the  school-board  for  two  years, 
and  a  member  of  the  lower  house  of  the  General  Assembly 
representing  the  town  of  Lincoln  for  the  years  1884-5-6- 
7,  declining  a  re-election  at  the  close  of  his  term  of 
office.  Mr.  Newell  is  a  republican  in  politics. 

***** 

The  manufacture  of  stay  webs,  bindings,  silk  finished, 
plain  and  fancy  spool  tapes  and  braids  was  begun  some 
twenty  years  ago  by  John  J.  Kenyon  in  Pawtucket. 
Mr.  Kenyon  is  a  native  of  England,  learning  his  trade  in 
Lancashire,  and  the  business,  which  at  first  was  up-hill 
work  against  the  competition  in  the  market,  has  grown 
and  prospered,  owing  largely  to  the  persistent  energy  of 
the  proprietor  and  the  superior  quality  of  the  goods. 
Mr.  Kenyon's  factory  is  now  situated  in  the  rear  of  56 
East  Avenue,  and  comprises  seven  floors,  with  23,000 
feet  of  surface,  filled  with  machinery  of  the  most  modern 
construction,  including  eighteen  looms  and  350  braiding- 
machines.  Mr.  Kenyon  also  makes  a  specialty  of  finish- 
ing yarns,  and  his  improved  machinery,  for  producing 
almost  any  style  of  finish  desired,  has  gained  for  him  a 
reputation  second  to  no  one  in  this  country.  He  has 
recently  added  a  thread  department,  and  is  now  furnish- 
ing the  trade  with  two,  three  and  four  ply  thread,  put  up 
on  machine  and  operator  spools  and  on  paper  tubes.  Mr. 
Kenyon  devotes  his  entire  time  to  the  business,  with  the 
minutest  details  of  which  he  is  familiar,  and  to  which  he 
attributes  a  large  share  of  his  success,  and  his  goods  are 
known  and  sold  in  all  parts  of  this  country  and  in  the 
Canadian  Provinces.  From  one  hundred  and  twenty- 
five  to  one  hundred  and  fifty  people  find  employment. 
Mr.  Kenyon  is  agent  for  the  Pawtucket  Paper  Company, 
which  is  putting  up  a  line  of  superfine  papers  conceded 
to  be  among  the  finest  in  this  style  of  goods  manufact- 
ured in  this  country. 

***** 

The  two  young  men  who  compose  the  firm  of  Norris 
&  Keagan,  manufacturers  and  dealers  in  mattresses,  have 
been  in  business  together  nearly  three  years,  on  Exchange 
Street.  They  had  previously  been  employes  of  the  firm 
of  S.  T.  Hornby  &  Company,  which  had  carried  on  busi- 
ness for  many  years,  and  whose  interest  they  purchased. 
All  grades  of  mattresses  are  made  here,  which  are  sold 
to  the  wholesale  trade  in  Providence  and  vicinity.  Some 
retail  business  in  Pawtucket  is  also  done,  and  the  firm  is 
also  prepared  to  renovate  mattresses.  Both  members  of 
the  firm  are  natives  of  Pawtucket,  and  are  building  up 
a  business  likely  to  prove  of  considerable  importance  to 
the  city. 

*  *  *  *  '  * 

Many  different  appliances  for  use  in  cotton  and  woolen 
mills  are  made  in  Pawtucket,  and  the  manufactories 
show  the  variety  of  industry  which  has  been  noted  as  a 
distinguishing  characteristic  of  the  place.  The  factory 
of  Edward  Adamson,  on  Broad  Street,  is  an  example  of 
these  unique  establishments,  where  is  made  an  appliance 
that  is  coming  rapidly  into  favor  in  the  mills  where  it  has 
found  a  place.  Mr.  Adamson  has  been  a  reed  maker  for 


PAWTUCKET  AT  THE  PRESENT  DAY. 


113 


nearly  forty  years  — not  all  of  this  time,  however,  in 
Pavvtucket  —  and  was  conscious  that  an  improvement 
could  be  made  in  the  style  of  reeds  made  use  of  in  the 
cotton  and  woolen  mills.  After  many  experiments,  he 
invented  and  obtained  a  patent  on  what  is  called  Adam- 
son's  Flexible  Bevel  Dent  Reeds,  and  for  the  manufac- 
ture of  these  he  started  business  in  1883,  in  the  shop 
belonging  to  George  W.  Payne,  under  the  style  of  the 
Excelsior  Loom  Reed  Works.  The  invention  is  a  direct 
departure  from  the  old  reed,  and  requires  special  ma- 
chinery to  manufacture  it  properly.  It  was  therefore 
necessary  to  invent  and  develop  machinery  that  would 
do  the  desired  work.  This  has  been  accomplished,  and 
within  a  few  years  the  demand  for  this  reed  has  largely 
increased.  It  is  flexible  and  elastic,  and  however  far 
apart  the  wires  are  separated  by  the  insertion  of  any  sub- 
stance between  them,  they  will  spring  back  to  the 
original  position  as  soon  as  the  substance  is  removed. 
In  the  other  reeds  the  wires  will  not  do  this,  and  it  is 
necessary  to  stop  and  adjust  them  in  case  any  substance 
obtains  lodgment  between  the  wires.  During  the  past 
year  this  industry  has  increased  fully  one-third,  the  supe- 
riority of  the  reed  being  acknowledged  everywhere,  as 
soon  as  a  trial  is  made,  and  the  mills  in  New  England 
are  largely  supplied  with  Mr.  Adamson's  reeds.  The 
wire  used  in  the  manufacture  is  polished  and  shaped 
to  any  size  desired  in  the  factory  of  the  Excelsior  Loom 
Reed  Works  —  a  large  proportion  of  the  wire  being 
made  from  Norway  iron,  which  is  the  best  for  the  pur- 
pose. Mr.  Adamson  deals  also  in  belting,  lace  and 
picker  leather  and  general  mill  supplies. 

»  *  *  #  * 

The  large  jewelry  establishment  of  F.  W.  Dexter, 
who  carries  on  a  wholesale  as  well  as  retail  trade,  on 
Main  Street,  was  established  in  1854  ty  W.  W.  Dexter, 
the  father  of  the  present  proprietor.  The  business  was 
conducted  on  Mill  Street,  on  the  site  of  the  Spencer 
Block,  in  the  early  days,  but  Mr.  Dexter  removed  later 
to  the  store  on  Main  Street,  which  had  been  entirely 
remodeled.  At  that  time  it  was  considered  that  Mr. 
Dexter  was  so  far  up  town  that  he  would  be  entirely  out 
of  the  line  of  trade.  But  his  business  continued  to  pros- 
per, and  at  the  present  time  a  better  location  could  not 
be  selected.  F.  W.  Dexter,  the  present  proprietor,  has 
been  connected  with  the  store  for  sixteen  years,  a  portion 
of  the  time  in  partnership  with  his  father,  until  January, 
1888,  he  purchased  his  father's  interest  and  became  sole 
proprietor.  A  large  assortment  of  the  different  goods 
kept  in  a  first-class  jewelry  store  is  carried  —  and  suf- 
ficient to  enable  Mr.  Dexter  to  do  a  wholesale  as  well  as 
a  large  retail  trade.  Many  of  the  goods  are  directly 
imported,  especially  for  the  holiday  trade,  enabling  the 
proprietor  to  furnish  his  patrons  with  novelties  which  could 
not  otherwise  be  obtained.  The  store  is  neatly  fitted  up, 
with  plenty  of  light,  and  six  clerks  are  employed  to  attend 
to  the  wants  of  the  customers.  The  choicest  goods,  the 
finest  silver  ware,  as  well  as  articles  of  moderate  price, 
are  to  be  seen  deftly  arranged  for  inspection  inside  the 
store,  while  the  show  windows  are  always  attractive  to 
passers.  A  specialty  is  made  of  the  correct  fitting  of 
glasses  to  the  eye,  and  a  perfect  fit  is  guaranteed  in  all 


F.  W-  DEXTER, 

JEWELER,      PAWTUCKET. 

cases.  This  was  done  under  the  senior  Mr.  Dexter  with 
great  success,  who  instructed  the  present  proprietor  in 
the  details  of  this  difficult  branch  of  the  business.  Mr. 
Dexter  took  great  interest  in  the  Cotton  Centennial,  and 
his  display  in  Exhibition  Hall,  where  he  had  engravers 
at  work,  and  over  $7,000  worth  of  goods,  was  acknowl- 
edged to  be  one  of  the  finest  among  the  tradesmen  who 
made  exhibits.  He  was  treasurer  of  King  Kotton  Kar- 
nival  and  the  ball  which  followed  during  Centennial 
week,  and  of  the  exhibitors'  banquet ;  was  timekeeper  for 
the  boat  club  at  the  regatta,  and  marshal  on  the  staff"  of 
General  Olney  Arnold.  He  was  also  a  member  of  the 
committee  having  the  trades  procession  in  charge. 


The  printing  and  publishing  establishment  of  E.  L. 
Freeman  &  Son,  located  on  the  corner  of  Mill  and  Cen- 
tral streets,  in  Central  Falls,  is  one  of  the  industries  of 
the  place  which  has  developed  from  small  beginnings  to 
one  of  the  finest  plants  in  the  state.  Messrs.  Freeman  & 
Son  have  been  state  printers  for  thirteen  years,  own  two 
stores  for  the  sale  of  blank  books,  stationery  and  school 
supplies,  and  have  recently  added  a  process  of  art  work, 
which  has  become  very  successful,  and  whose  produc- 
tions are  meeting  with  increasing  favor.  Mr.  E.  L. 
Freeman,  the  Pounder  of  the  business,  was  born  in 
Waterville,  Maine,  September  10,  1835.  His  father  was 
a  clergyman,  under  whose  guidance  and  instruction  Mr. 
Freeman  was  fitted  for  college,  but  instead  of  an  aca- 
demic course  he  apprenticed  himself  to  A.  W.  Pearce,  of 
Pawtucket,  to  learn  the  art  of  printing.  At  the  close  of 


114 


THE   COTTON   CENTENNIAL. 


E.  L.  FREEMAN, 

FOUNDER   OF    THE     PRINTING,    LITHOGRAPHING    AND    STATIONERY    ESTABLISH- 
MENTS  OF    E.    L.    FREEMAN   &    SON. 

his  apprenticeship  in  1853,  he  was  employed  by  Ham- 
mond, Angell  &  Company,  of  Providence,  in  whose  ser- 
vice he  continued  eight  years,  spending  one  winter  in  the 
Government  Printing  Office  in  Washington.  On  his 
return  he  purchased  an  interest  in  the  Providence  firm, 
remaining  two  years  longer,  and  in  1863  he  came  to 
Central  Falls,  where  he  began  the  printing  business  for 
himself  in  one  room  on  the  lower  floor  of  the  building 
now  occupied  by  the  firm.  The  industry  was  largely 
confined  to  the  printing  of  labels  for  thread  and  other 
manufacturers,  Mr.  Freeman  employing  at  that  time  two 
men  and  one  boy,  and  doing  a  large  share  of  the  work 
himself.  It  prospered,  more  room  was  occupied  in  the 
building,  and  in  1869,  the  Central  Falls  Weekly  Visitor 
began  its  career,  Mr.  Freeman,  like  most  country  pub- 
lishers, editing  the  paper,  and  at  the  same  time  doing  a 
large  share  of  the  mechanical  work  on  the  paper  and 
in  the  office.  The  Visitor  has  been  recently  sold  and 
consolidated  with  the  Pawtucket  Record.  The  industry 
has  developed,  until  a  general  book  and  job  printing 
business  is  done,  of  large  dimensions,  and  giving  employ- 
ment to  about  sixty  people.  In  1877  the  firm  became 
printers  to  the  state,  and  since  1881  has  published  and 
printed  the  Freemason's  Repository,  a  prominent  organ 
in  masonic  circles.  In  1873,  John  E.  Goldsworthy 
was  admitted  to  the  firm,  the  style  being  E.  L.  Freeman 
&  Company.  In  November,  1885,  Mr.  Freeman's  son, 
William  C.,  purchased  Mr.  Goldsworthy's  interest, 
and  the  firm  became  E.  L,  Freeman  &  Son. 


In  1877,  the  firm  purchased  the  book  store  of  Valpey, 
Angell  &  Company,  of  Providence,  where  is  kept,  at 
No.  3  Westminster  Street,  a  large  line  of  blank  books  and 
stationery,  for  the  use  of  business  men  and  manufacturers. 
In  iSSS  a  branch  store  was  established  at  191  Main 
Street,  Pawtucket.  In  both  stores  is  kept  a  full  assort- 
ment of  school  books  and  supplies.  In  1888  the  Arto- 
gravure  Company  was  incorporated  for  the  purpose  of 
making  a  specialty  of  art  work.  There  is  reproduced 
under  the  gelatine  process  a  style  of  art  work  that  has 
met  with  a  large  sale.  William  C.  Freeman  is  treasurer 
and  sole  managerof  this  company.  Many  of  the  pictures 
are  taken  from  photographs.  Five  sizes  of  the  plates  arc 
used  in  producing  the  works  of  art,  of  which  the  com- 
pany has  already  three  hundred  subjects,  and  the  line  is 
constantly  increasing.  Gelatine  printing  is  done  of  any 
kind  of  work,  such  as  the  reproduction  of  buildings  and 
machinery  from  portraits,  and  the  works  of  art  find  a 
market  through  jobbers  and  picture  dealers  in  all  parts  of 
the  country.  Over  thirty  people  are  employed  in  this 
department.  Mr.  Freeman,  senior,  has  represented  Cen- 
tral Falls  in  the  General  Assembly  many  years.  He  was 
in  both  branches  of  the  Assembly  from  the  old  town  of 
Smithfield,  a  representative  from  1868-70,  and  a  senator 
1 870-7 1 ,  and  was  the  first  senator  from  the  new  town  of  Lin- 
coln in  1871-72.  He  was  again  representative  for  the 
years  1874-77,  during  the  first  two  of  which,  1874-75,  he 
was  speaker  of  the  House,  and  wears  to-day,  as  souvenir 
of  that  occasion,  an  elegant  gold  watch  presented  by  his 
associates.  Later  he  was  a  member  of  the  House,  from 
1879 "to'  1889.  Mr.  Freeman  is  very  prominent  in  the 
Masonic  order.  He  joined  Union  Lodge,  No.  10,  ot 
Pawtucket,  in  1864,  was  Master  of  that  lodge  in  1869-70, 
and  Grand  Master  of  the  Grand  Lodge  of  Rhode  Island 
in  1879-80.  In  1885  he  was  the  Grand  High  Priest  of 
the  Grand  Chapter  of  Royal  Arch  Masons  of  Rhode 
Island.  He  was  elected  Commander  of  Holy  Sepulchre 
Commandery  of  Knights  Templars,  October  4,  1870, 
serving  three  years,  and  in  1889  was  Grand  Commander 
of  Massachusetts  and  Rhode  Island.  Mr.  Freeman  is  at 
present  the  railroad  commissioner  of  the  state,  his  term 
expiring  in  1892.  Up  to  1887,  he  had  been  one  of  the 
firewards  of  the  Central  Falls  district  for  nineteen  years 
in  succession,  which  body  has  entire  charge,  at  Central 
Falls,  of  the  police,  the  water  works,  street  lights,  fire 
department  and  public  library*  Mr.  Freeman  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Odd  Fellows  and  many  other  organizations, 
and  is  greatly  interested  in  Sunday-school  and  church 
work  in  Central  Falls. 


Among  the  varied  industries  of  Rhode  Island,  the  man- 
ufacture of  card  boards  and  glazed  paper  has  developed 
into  considerable  prominence  in  Pawtucket,  and  the  busi- 
ness carried  on  here  by  the  Orient  Card  and  Paper  Com- 
pany stands  among  the  foremost  in  this  branch  of  indus- 
try in  the  country.  The  plant  was  established  in  Paw- 
tucket in  1886,  and  a  specialty  has  been  made  from  the 
beginning  of  the  manufacture  of  coated  or  enameled 
paper,  specifically  adapted  for  the  existing  requirements 
of  steam  lithographic  and  color  printing,  and  by  a  very 


PAWTUCKET  AT  THE    PRESENT    DAY. 


115 


ORIENT  CARD  AND  PAPER  COMPANY'S  MANUFACTORY,  PAWTUCKET. 


careful  attention  to  every  detail  in  the  process  of  produc- 
tion, the  company  has  brought  these  papers  to  a  very 
high  standard  of  excellence.  The  business  has  constantly 
prospered,  and  the  demand  for  the  goods  has  been  so 
large  that  the  Orient  Company  has  twice  enlarged  its 
premises  within  the  brief  period  of  four  years  —  the  latter 
venture  being  the  erection  of  an  extensive  wing,  200  feet 
in  length,  and  36  feet  wide,  two  stories  high. 

A  very  important  feature  with  this  company  is  the  uni- 
versal reputation  which  it  has  acquired  for  prompt  ser- 
vice in  filling  orders  —  a  very  important  matter  to  be  con- 
sidered by  printers  and  dealers — and  with  the  increased 
facilities  which  will  be  obtained  by  the  addition  of  this  new 
and  thoroughly  equipped  mill,  the  Orient  Company  has 
every  prospect  before  it  of  a  larger,  more  brilliant  and  suc- 
cessful business.  Among  the  goods  manufactured  solely 
by  this  company  are  what  is  known  as  enameled  zinco- 
graphic  papers  —  invented  and  perfected  solely  by  the 
Orient  Company  expressly  for  the  high  speed  rotary  zinco- 
graphic  press,  now  being  so  generally  introduced  into  the 
largest  lithographic  houses  throughout  the  country.  The 
papers  and  card  board  of  the  company  are  sold  in  every 
part  of  this  country,  through  jobbers  in  paper  and  litho- 
graphers' goods,  as  well  as  in  Canada  and  the  Indies. 
***** 

Among  other  large  and   representative   manufacturing 


establishments  which  help  make  the  industrial  prosperity 
ofPawtucket  are:  the  R.  Bliss  Mfg.  Co.,  makers  of 
archery  goods,  toys,  novelties,  etc.  ;  the  Pawtucket  Steam 
and  Gas  Pipe  Co.  ;  the  Union  Steam  and  Gas  Pipe  Co.  ; 
the  Collyer  Machine  Co.  ;  Robert  Plews  &  Co.,  card 
screen  manufacturers;  B.  P.  Clapp  &  Co.,  manufactur- 
ing chemists ;  Willmarth  &  Mackillop,  contractors ; 
Whittaker  &  Smith,  contractors  ;  J.  S.  White,  founder 
and  machinery  manufacturer  ;  the  James  Davis  Belting 
Co.  ;  the  Fairbrother  Belting  Co.  ;  the  Star  Tanning 
Co. ;  the  New  England  Thread  Co.  ;  the  Huntingdon 
Thread  Co.  ;  J.  N.  Polsey  &  Co.,  packing-box  manufac- 
turers ;  Linton  Bros.  &  Co.,  card  manufacturers;  John 
T.  Cottrell,  manufacturer  of  finished  lumber;  the  Adam 
Sutclifte  Co.,  printers  ;  Cole  Bros.,  builders  of  steam  fire 
engines;  J.  O.  Draper  &  Co.,  manufacturers  of  wash- 
ing powders,  toilet,  laundry  and  manufacturers'  soaps ; 
Atwood,  Crawford  &  Co.,  spool  and  bobbin  manufac- 
turers ;  the  Pawtucket  Tack  Co.  ;  J.  M.  Carpenter,  tap 
and  die  manufacturer ;  the  L.  B.  Darling  Fertilizer  Co.  ; 
L.  Upham,  manufacturer  toys  and  novelties  ;  the  Central 
Falls  Woolen  Mill ;  the  R.  B.  Gage  Mfg.  Co.,  cotton  ; 
Richard  Harrison,  dyer  and  bleacher ;  the  E.  Jenckes 
Mfg.  Co.,  ring  travelers,  belt  hooks,  etc.;  Easton  & 
Burnham,  spindle  makers  and  machinists,  and  the  Potter 
&  Atherton  Machine  Co. 


MILL  AND   OFFICE  OF  LITTLEFIELD  MANUFACTURING  COMPANY,  PAWTUCKET. 


I.      MARKET    SQUARE 


SCENES  IN  PROVIDENCE. 


STREET  ,.      SOUTH   WATER   STREET,    CRAWFORD   STREET   BR.DGE,    DYER  STREET.   AND   V,EW   DOWN   THE   HARBOR. 

YBOSSET   STREET,   LOOKING  TOWARD  WESTMINSTER.  4.     MARKET  SQUARE,  AND  WESTMINSTER  STREET. 


VIII. 


PROVIDENCE  AND  THE  RHODE  ISLAND  COTTON  DISTRICT. 

THE  INFLUENCE  OF  MODERN  MANUFACTURING — EARLY  COMMERCE  OF  PROVIDENCE — DEVELOPMENT,  PROGRESS  AND  DECLINE 
OF  THE  FOREIGN  TRADE — RISE  OF  MANUFACTURING — PROVIDENCE  BECOMES  THE  CENTRE  OF  AN  EXTENSIVE  COTTON 
MANUFACTURING  DISTRICT — THE  FIRST  MILLS  IN  THE  VICINITY — EARLY  STATISTICS — BEGINNINGS  OF  THE  JEWELRY 
MANUFACTURE — THE  FIRST  STEAM  ENGINES — THE  COTTON  AND  OTHER  INDUSTRIES  IN  RHODE  ISLAND — PROMINENT 
MANUFACTURERS — LOCATION  OF  THE  MILLS  IN  THE  STATE— NATURAL  AND  ACOJJIRED  ADVANTAGES  FOR  MANUFACTURING 
— TRANSPORTATION  FACILITIES — THE  CITY  OF  WOONSOCKET,  Aim  ITS  MANUFACTURES — SOME  OF  THE  LEADING  MANU- 
FACTURING ESTABLISHMENTS  THROUGHOUT  RHODE  ISLAND. 

The  first  occupation,  other  than  farming  and  fishing,  that 
the  settlers  of  Providence  ventured  upon,  was  trading 
with  their  neighbors  most  easily  reached  by  water.  At 
first  their  numbers  were  so  few  and  their  condition  so  pre- 
carious on  account  of  Indian  wars  and  controversies  with 
neighboring  colonies  in  regard  to  territorial  jurisdiction, 
that  no  foreign  commerce  was  attempted  and,  consequent- 
ly, when  Roger  Williams  went  to  England  to  secure  the 
first  charter,  he  had  to  sail  from  the  Dutch  settlement  of 
Manhattan,  now  New  York.  Soon  after  the  charter  of 
Charles  II  went  into  effect  in  1663,  a  considerable  busi- 
ness was  carried  on  between  Providence  and  the  West 
Indies,  but  the  vessels  are  supposed  to  have  been  owned 
elsewhere.  The  first  wharf  and  warehouse  was  built  by 
Pardon  Tillinghast  in  1679,  on  the  west  side  of  the  Town 
Street,  (the  present  South  Main)  and  near  the  foot  of 
what  is  now  Transit  Street.  The  principal  export  was 
timber,  which  was  put  in  fit  shape  at  the  few  saw  mills  on 
the  rivers  in  the  neighborhood,  while  agricultural  products 
also  formed  a  portion  of  the  outgoing  cargoes,  but  Prov- 
idence was  a  tributary  port  to  Newport  which  carried  on 
the  chief  business  with  the  outside  world  and  owned 
nearly  all  the  vessels.  About  the  beginning  of  the  eight- 
eenth century  other  wharves  and  warehouses  were  built, 
and  a  direct  business  grew  up  with  West  India  ports. 
In  a  report  made  to  the  English  Board  of  Trade  in  1708, 
the  statement  was  made  that,  in  the  twenty  years  pre- 
ceding, the  shipping  of  Providence  had  increased  four- 
fold. Within  the  next  twenty-five  years  the  progress 
was  still  greater.  The  population  in  1708,  was  1,446  but 
in  1730  had  increased  to  3,916.  In  1764,  Providence 
owned  fifty-four  vessels  of  a  total  capacity  of  4,320  tons. 

The  Revolutionary  War,  interfered  seriously  with  the 
commerce  of  Providence,  but  did  not  destroy  it  as  was 
the  case  with  Newport.  After  the  peace  of  1783,  a  ship  of 
950  tons  was  built  for  the  East  India  trade.  In  December 
1787,  the  ship  General  Washington  sailed  from  Prov- 
dence  for  Canton,  China,  and  was  the  third  American  ves- 
sel to  carry  the  American  flag  into  the  ports  of  that  country 
At  that  time,  Judge  Staples  says,  "Providence  numbered 
many  enterprising  merchants  among  her  citizens,  com- 
merce was  esteemed,  and  if  not  the  only,  was  at  least  the 
most  direct  road  to  affluence."  At  the  beginning  of  the 
year  1790,  there  were  owned  in  Providence  no  vessels 
of  10, 590  tons,  exclusive  of  river  craft,  and  the  following 


THE  CITY  HALL,  EXCHANGE  PLACE,  PROVIDENCE. 

The  central  fact  in  the  history  of  the  past  hundred 
years  is  the  development  of  mechanical  inventions  by 
means  of  which  the  productive  power  of  the  world  has 
been  vastly  increased,  and  time  and  distance  in  a  measure 
annihilated  by  electricity  and  steam.  Great  changes  have 
been  evolved  by  these  agencies  ;  men  and  communities 
have  been  brought  into  new  relations  ;  and  social  and 
economic  conditions  have  resulted,  different  from  any- 
thing in  previous  human  experience.  While  the  whole 
civilized  world  has  been  the  arena  of  this  great  revolution, 
certain  places  have  become  conspicuous  on  account  of  the 
decisive  events  of  which  they  were  the  scene.  Pawtucket, 
as  already  told,  owes  her  fame  entirely  to  an  occurrence 
of  this  sort,  and  the  city  of  Providence,  second  in  popula- 
tion and  importance  in  New  England,  is  indebted  for  her 
growth  and  development  to  the  same  cause — the  establish- 
ing of  the  cotton  manufacture. 


118 


THE  COTTON   CENTENNIAL. 


years  these  had  increased  to  129  sail  of  11,943  tons. 
This  great  increase  was  no  doubt  owing  to  the  adoption 
by  Rhode  Island  of  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States 
in  May,  179°?  which  inspired  confidence  and  abolished 
all  the  tariffs  that  had  existed  for  a  number  of  years  pre- 
vious, between  Rhode  Island  and  the  adjoining  states. 
A  corporation  was  chartered  by  the  General  Assembly 
for  the  purpose  of  river  and  harbor  improvement  at 
Providence,  and  in  a  petition  from  this  corporation  in 
1790,  asking  for  a  continuance  of  its  privileges,  the 
statements  are  made  "  that  there  is  a  greater  number  of 
vessels  belonging  to  this  port  than  to  New  York"  and 
that  "  it  is  a  place  of  more  navigation  than  any  of  its  size 
in  the  Union." 


America  the  principal  imports  were  rum,  molasses,  sugar, 
salt  and  limes,  and  from  Europe  came  manufactured  articles 
and  cloths.  The  European  trade  began  to  increase  about 
the  beginning  of  the  century,  and  vessels  arrived  from 
Liverpool,  London,  Bordeaux,  Copenhagen,  Cronstadt, 
St.  Petersburg,  Lisbon  and  other  ports.  Occasionally 
ships  arrived  from  even  more  distant  regions, — from 
Bombay,  Calcutta,  or  some  port  in  Africa  or  the  East 
Indies. 

The  war  of  1812  seriously  affected  the  trade  of  Prov- 
idence, decreasing  it  from  one-half  to  one-third  its  former 
proportions.  As  a  small  compensation  some  of  the  prizes 
captured  from  the  British  by  privateers  were  brought 
in  and  paid  duty.  After  the  war  commerce  revived,  soon 


BROWN  UNIVERSITY,  PROVIDENCE. 


During  1791,  sixty-four  vessels  arrived  from  foreign 
ports,  and  the  duties  paid  on  their  cargoes  amounted  to 
nearly  eighty  thousand  dollars.  Fifty-three  of  these 
vessels  were  from  ports  in  the  West  Indies,  one  from 
Canton,  China,  one  from  the  Cape  de  Verde  Island,  and 
the  remainder  from  European  ports.  The  trade  to  Can- 
ton, became  important.  The  ship  General  Wash- 
ington arrived  back  from  her  first  voyage  July  5,  1789, 
and  from  that  time  a  continuous  trade  existed  for  more 
than  half  a  century,  the  last  arrival  being  the  ship 
Lion,  January  30,  1841 .  The  cargoes  from  Canton  were 
mainly  teas,  and  in  some  cases  more  duty  was  paid  on  a 
single  vessel  from  that  port  than  on  all  the  other  goods 
entered  in  a  year.  From  the  West  Indies  and  South 


attained  to  its  former  proportions,  but  with  the  exception 
of  a  year  or  two,  did  not  increase  beyond  those  limits. 
After  1831,  the  foreign  commerce  constantly  decreased, 
until  as  a  distinct  business  conducted  by  home  merchants 
it  practically  disappeared  from  Providence.  It  is  true  that 
even  at  present  foreign  vessels  occasionally  arrive,  but 
they  bring  goods  by  special  order  to  some  of  the  manu- 
facturing establishments  and  not  as  direct  importations 
or  on  consignment  to  mercantile  and  importing  houses. 
These  conditions  are  illustrated  by  the  fact  that  the  num- 
ber of  vessels  entering  from  foreign  ports  in  1890,  was 
only  139  on  which  the  duties  collected  amounted  to  $285,- 
127.50,  and  the  larger  part  of  the  imports  consisted  of 
raw  materials  from  the  British  provinces.  In  1819,  when 


PROVIDENCE   AND  THE   R.    I.   COTTON   DISTRICT. 


110 


'HE  DOCKS  AT  PROVIDENCE. 


the  population  of  Providence  was  about  one-twelfth  what 
it  is  at  present,  the  duties  paid 'on  imports  was  about  one- 
third  greater. 

The  chief  cause  of  this  commercial  decline,  without 
doubt,  was  the  fact  that  early  in  the  century,  and  in  a 
more  marked  degree  after  the  war  of  1812,  manufactures 
began  to  afford  a  greater  and  quicker  return  to  enterprise 
and  capital  than  commerce  did.  The  constantly  growing 
importance  of  the  two  ports  of  New  York  aifd  Boston, 
owing  to  natural  situation  and  other  influences,  tended  to 
bring  about  the  decadence  of  the  lesser  seaports  on  the 
New  England  coast :  but  although  Providence  was  very 
materially  affected  by  these  general  causes,  yet  the  suc- 
cessful establishing  of  the  cotton  manufacture  in  the 
neighborhood  more  than  made  good  the  loss  sustained. 
Her  merchants,  having  put  their  capital  into  mills  instead 
of  ships,  still  continued  to  conduct  business  from  their 
home  offices.  As  •. 

a  consequence  all 
the  financial  ex- 
changes in  connec- 
tion with  the  in- 
dustry were  made 
in  Providence, 
.nanufacturers  of 
machinery  were 
thereby  attracted, 
and  makers  of  and 
dealers  in  all  sorts 
of  supplies  for  the 
mills  found  it  con- 
venient to  locate 
where  they  could 
find  their  best 
cus  tome  rs.  In 
this  manner  Prov- 
idence became  the 
centre  of  a  large 
cotton  factory  dis- 
trict, that  com- 
prised not  only  all 
of  Rhode  Island 
but  a  considerable 
portion  of  adjoin- 
ing regions  in  Con- 
necticut and  Mass- 
achusetts.  This 


YOUNG  MEN'S  CHRISTIAN  ASSOCIATION  BUILDING,  PROVIDENCE, 


position  the  city  continues  to  hold,  and  seems  likely  to 
sustain  to  a  still  greater  extent  in  the  future,  with  the 
additional  advantage  that  other  industries  have  been 
established  in  the  same  localities,  of  which  Providence 
is  the  natural  centre,  so  that  at  present  the  city  is  tu  a  far 
larger  extent  than  ever  before  an  aggregation  of  diversi- 
fied industries  and  the  metropolis  of  a  populous  region. 

As  elsewhere  related,  the  first  attempt  to  spin  cotton 
in  Rhode  Island  by  the  Arkwright  machinery  was  made 
in  Providence  in  1788.  At  that  time  the  fly  shuttle  was 
introduced  by  Joseph  Alexander,  and  was  the  means  of 
greatly  increasing  the  efficiency  of  the  hand-looms  in  use, 
as  is  evident  from  the  fact  that  in  1790  there  was  woven 
in  the  town  and  immediate  vicinity  25,265  yards  of  linen 
cfoth,  5,858  yards  cotton,  3,165  yards  woolen,  512  yards 
carpeting  and  260  yards  fringe.  John  Brown,  the  well- 
known  merchant,  in  1789  wore  a  suit  of  woolen  cloth 

made  from  the 
fleeces  of  his  own 
sheep,  the  yarn 
for  which  was  spun 
by  a  woman  Si 
years  of  age. 
Calico  printing 
was  begun  in  1794 
by  Messrs.  Schaub, 
Tissot  and  Du- 
bosque  in  a  build- 
ing that  previously 
had  been  a  choco- 
late factory,  on  the 
present  site  of  the 
Franklin  foundry. 
The  price  of  cot- 
ton yarn  in  the 
Providence  market 
in  1803  was  94 
cents  a  pound  for 
No.  12,  $1.10  for 
No.  16,  and  $1.26 
for  No.  50. 

For  many  years 
after  the  industry 
was  started  no  cot- 
ton mills  were  es- 
tablished in  Provi- 
dence, but  all  the 


T 
H 


1/5   E 
S    i 

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UJ     5 


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Q    o> 


PROVIDENCE  AND  THE   R.   I.  COTTON  DISTRICT. 


121 


PROVIDENCE  FROM  PROSPECT  TERRACE. 


first  factories  were  in  the  immediate  vicinity,  many  of 
them  in  the  suburbs,  while  the  majority  were  in  places 
that  had  originally  been  within  the  territorial  limits  of  the 
town.  Pawtucket  was  only  four  miles  distant,  and  had 
been  in  the  bounds  of  Providence  until  1765,  when  the 
town  of  North  Providence  was  set  oft".  In  1805  the  Union 
Mill  was  built  at  Olneyville,  on  the  western  boundary  of 
Providence,  and  on  the  next  water-privilege  on  the  Woo- 
nasquatucket  River  the  Merino  Mill  was  erected  in  1812. 
That  Providence  was  always  regarded  as  the  centre  of 
the  industry  is  shown  by  the  expressions  used  in  all  the 
early  estimates  of  the  number  of  factories.  Thus  in  1809 
there  were  in  operation  '"within  thirty  miles  of  Provi- 
dence," 20,406  spindles,  of  which  1^196  were  in  Rhode 
Island,  4,820  in  Massachusetts,  and  1,390  in  Connecticut. 
In  181 1  there  were  said  to  be  seventeen  mills  in  "  Provi- 
dence and  vicinity,"  with  seven  in  course  of  erection,  and 
in  1812  the  number  of  spindles  in  operation  in  the  same 
district  was  120,000.  "Within  thirty  miles  of  Provi- 
dence" in  1814,  there  were  170  factories  with  over  134,- 
ooo  spindles,  consuming  29,000  bales  of  cotton  annually, 
and  producing  27,840,000  yards  of  cloth  of  a  total  value 
of  $6,000,000. 

While  the  cotton  industry  was  thus  increasing,  the  found- 
ation was  also  laid  for  the  development  of  the  jewelry 
manufacture  which  has  in  Providence  at  present  attained 
to  a  position  second  only  to  cotton  and  its  allied  indus- 
tries. The  manufacture  of  silver  ware  was  begun  soon 
after  the  Revolution  ;  in  1805  there  were  four  establish- 
ments where  silver  spoons,  gold  beads  and  finger  rings 
were  made,  and  about  the  same  time  the  manufacture  of 
cheap  jewelry  was  begun.  In  1810,  about  one  hundred 
workmen  were  employed,  but  in  1815  the  number  had 
increased  to  three  hundred. 


A  steam  engine  constructed  by  Oliver  Evans  at  his 
works  in  Philadelphia,  was  put  in  operation  in  1812,  at 
the  mill  of  the  Providence  Woolen  Company,  the  mem- 
bers of  which  were  Samuel  G.  Arnold,  S.  Dorr,  J.  S. 
Martin,  and  David  Lyman.  This  mill  stood  on  the  site 
of  the  Allen  Print  Works,  and  the  engine  is  said  to  have 
been  the  first  in  Rhode  Island.  The  second  one  intro- 
duced was  put  in  by  the  Providence  Dyeing,  Bleaching 
and  Calendering  Company  in  1814.  It  was  of  twenty- 
four  horse-power,  and  was  also  constructed  by  Oliver 
Evans. 

The  introduction  of  the  power-loom  in  1817,  occurred 
atthe  village  of  Lymansville,  North  Providence,  only  four 
miles  from  the  bridge  in  Providence.  The  number  of 
cotton  factories  in  the  district  in  1823,  was  about  one 
hundred,  but  they  were  much  larger  than  seven  years 
before,  as  most  of  them  had  in  the  interval  introduced 
the  power-loom.  To  such  an  extent,  as  a  consequence, 
did  all  the  co-related  industries  in  Providence  develop 
that  the  population  which  in  1820  had  been  11,767,  was 
in  1825,  15, 941,  an  increase  of  thirty-five  per  cent,  in  five 
years.  The  Steam  Mill  was  started  by  Samuel  Slater, 
David  Wilkinson  and  others  in  1827,  and  was  the  first 
cotton  factory  of  any  considerable  size  that  up  to  that 
time  had  been  erected  in  the  limits  of  Providence.  It 
was  also  one  of  the  first  steam  cotton  mills  in  the  country, 
and  proving  a  success,  notwithstanding  the  misfortunes 
of  its  original  projectors,  it  afforded  an  example  that  was 
quickly  followed  here  and  elsewhere. 

The  cotton  manufacture  has  always  been  the  leading 
industry  in  Rhode  Island,  and  at  present  probably  over 
one  half  of  the  entire  capital  invested  in  the  state  is 
employed  in  its  various  branches.  Next  in  importance 
are  the  manufactures  of  woolen  and  worsted  goods,  in 


THE  SS.  PETER  AND  PAUL'S  CATHEDRAL,  PROVIDENCE. 


RROVIDENCE  AND  THE    R.  I.   COTTON   DISTRICT. 


123 


which  from  twelve  to  fifteen  mil- 
lions are  invested,  and  these  in- 
dustries are  carried  on  under  the 
same  conditions  as  that  of  cotton, 
the  mills  being  situated  in  the 
suburbs,  and  in  the  river  valleys 
throughout  the  state,  while  the 
offices  and  selling  agencies  are 
located  in  the  city.  The  machine 
shops,  engine  works  and  other 
establishments  engaged  in  the 
working  of  iron  are  numerous,  and 
are  largely  concentrated  in  the  city. 
The  jewelry  manufacture  rivals 
the  other  leading  industries,  with 
the  exception  of  cotton,  and  has  a 
probable  investment  of  from  eight 
to  ten  millions  in  establishments 
wholly  in  the  city  limits,  the  ma- 
jority of  them  in  the  most  central 
parts.  In  1860  there  were  owned 
in  Providence  seventy-seven  cot- 
ton mills  located  outside  the  city 
limits.  The  same  fact  is  true  at 

present,  with  the    difference  that   the  number  is  much 
larger. 

Since  1833  the  governors  of  Rhode  Island  have  nearly 
all  been  men  prominently  identified  with  cotton  manu- 
facturing, instead  of,  as  for  a  half  century  previous,  with 
commerce.  The  same  is  also  true  of  the  men  elected 


RESIDENCE  OF  B.  B.  KNIGHT,  PROVIDENCE. 


RESIDENCE  OF  R.  H.  I.  GODDARD,  PROVIDENCE. 

to    represent    the   state    in    the   United    States    Senate. 
Among  the  governors  have  been  such  well-known  man- 
ufacturers  as   Charles  Jackson,    Elisha   Harris,    Philip 
Allen,  W.  W.  Hoppin,  Elisha  Dyer,  the  two  William 
Spragues,  Henry  Howard,  Henry  Lippitt,  A.  H.  Little- 
field  and  Royal  C.  Taft,  while  among  the  senators  are 
many  of  the  same  names,  and  in 
addition  such    men   as  John  H. 
Clarke,  Charles  T.  James,  James 
F.  Simmons  and  Jonathan  Chace. 
The    lieutenant  -  governors    and 
other  state  officers  have  also  been 
drawn    largely    from    the    same 
class. 

For  years  after  the  beginning 
of  the  cotton  industry  Rhode 
Island  was  the  home  of  the  man- 
ufacture. Although  at  present 
there  are  no  localities  in  the 
state  that  will  alone  equal  Fall 
River  and  Lowell,  or  even  New 
Bedford,  Lawrence,  and  Man- 
chester in  the  extent  and  com- 
pactness of  their  manufacturing 
establishments,  still  the  entire 
vicinage  in  the  neighborhood  of 
Providence,  within  a  quite  limited 
radius,  contains  more  manufact- 
uring than  any  other  locality  in 
the  country  with  the  exception  of 
Fall  River  and  the  two  cities  on 
the  Merrimack  —  Lowell  and 
Lawrence.  In  fact  as  a  cotton 
manufacturing  district  Rhode 
Island  ranks  •  third.  The  facto- 
ries are  chiefly  located  in  the 
river  valleys,  more  than  half  of 


124 


THE  COTTON  CENTENNIAL. 


ROBERT  KNIGHT, 

OF  THE    FIRM   OF    I).    B.   ft  R.   KNIGHT,   COTTON    MANUFACTURERS,    PROVIDENCE. 

the  entire  amount  of  manufacturing  being  carried  on  in 
the  Blackstone  valley.  Pawtucket  is  the  first  and  most 
important  place,  and  then  follow  in  rapid  succession,  the 
villages  of  Central  Falls,  Valley  Falls,  Lonsdale,  Berke- 
ley, Ashton,  Albion,  Manville,  and  the  city  of  Woonsocket 
— all  in  Rhode  Island — while  beyond,  across  the  border 
in  Massachusetts,  but  most  of  them  by  business  conditions 
within  the  limits  of  the  Rhode  Island  cotton  district,  are 
the  villages  of  Blackstone,  Millville,  Uxbridge,  Whitins- 
ville,  Northbridge,  Farmunsville,  Saundersville,  Wilkin- 
sonville  and  Millbury.  On  the  Branch  River,  which 
unites  with  the  Blackstone  above  Woonsocket,  and  drains 
a  district  almost  wholly  in  Rhode  Island,  are  the  villages 
of  Forestdale,  Slatersville  and  Mohegan  ;  on  the  Clear 
River,  as  the  upper  part  of  the  Branch  River  is  called, 
are  Harrisville  and  Pascoag,  the  latter  one  of  the  largest 
manufacturing  villages  in  the  state ;  on  the  Chepachet 
a  stream  running  into  Clear  River,  are  Oakland,  Maple- 
ville  and  Chepachet.  On  the  Abbott  Run,  a  small 
stream  which  unites  with  the  Blackstone  above  Paw- 
tucket,  is  the  village  of  Cumberland  Mills,  where  one  of 
the  first  cotton  spinning  mills  was  erected.  Another 
tributary  of  the  Blackstone,  Ten  Mile  River,  flows 
into  the  Seekonk  two  or  three  miles  south  of  Pawtucket, 
and  on  it  are  the  villages  of  Rumford,  Hebronville, 


Dodgeville,    and     the    important    manu- 
facturing town  of  Attleboro. 

Next  in  importance  in  the  State  is  the 
Pawtuxet  valley,  which  is  dotted  for  a 
score  of  miles  with  villages  and  factories. 
At  its  mouth,  in  the  village  of  Pawtuxet, 
there  was  formerly  a  small  mill  which 
was  bought  by  the  city  of  Providence  at 
the  time  of  the  introduction  of  Pawtuxet 
water.  Pontiac  is  the  first  place  where 
the  water-power  is  made  use  of.  Next 
comes  Natick  with  its  five  mills  and  high 
stone  dam.  At  River  Point,  two  miles 
above  Natick,  the  two  branches  of  the 
river  unite.  On  the  southwest  branch  are 
River  Point,  Arctic,  Centreville,  Cromp- 
ton,  Quidnick,  Anthony,  Washington, 
and  Coventry  Centre.  On  the  northwest 
branch  are  Clyde  Print  Works,  Lippitt, 
Phenix,  Harrisville,  Arkwright,  Fiske- 
ville,  Jackson,  Hope,  Rockland,  North 
and  South  Scituate. 

The  Woonasquatucket  valley,  while 
not  as  busy  a  region  as  either  the  Black- 
stone  or  the  Pawtuxet  valley,  has  yet  a 
considerable  amount  of  cotton  manufact- 
uring and  the  villages  along  this  river  and 
its  upper  waters  are  Olneyville,  Merino, 
Dyerville,  Manton,  Lymansville,  Allen- 
dale,  Centredale,  Graniteville,  Allenville, 
Enfield,  Georgiaville,  Stillwater  and 
Greenville. 

In    the    southern  part   of  the  state  the 
Pawcatuck  is  the  only  considerable  river, 
and  the    manufacturing   villages  on    this 
stream    and   its  branches   are    Westerly, 
White  Rock,  Ashaway,  Niantic,  Rockville,  Richmond 
Switch,  Carolina  Mills,  Shannock,  Potter's  Hill,  Hope 
Valley,  Woodville,  Wyoming  and  Arcadia.     Westerly 
and  Hope  Valley  are  the  two  most  considerable  places 
in    the  southern  part  of  the  state. 

There  are  many  important  establishments  throughout 
the  state  on  smaller  streams  and  at  the  mouths  of  rivers. 
Among  these  may  be  mentioned  those  on  the  Pocasset, 
a  branch  of  the  Pawtuxet  River,  at  Cranston  and  Thorn- 
ton, (formerly  Simmonsville)  ;  the  establishments  in  the 
north  part  of  Providence  on  the  Moshassuck  and  West 
rivers  ;  and  the  mills  at  Bristol,  Warren,  East  Greenwich, 
Peace  Dale,  Wakefield,  Davisville,  Lafayette,  Wickford, 
and  elsewhere. 

It  would  be  impossible  within  reasonable  limits  to 
enter  into  details  in  reference  to  the  various  mills  in  the 
city  and  throughout  the  state.  The  origin  of  many  of 
them  has  been  narrated  in  the  chapter  on  pioneer  man- 
ufacturers. In  the  city  limits  the  principal  establish- 
ments engaged  in  the  cotton  business  are  the  Fletcher 
Manufacturing  Company,  the  Oriental  Mills,  the  Grant 
Mill,  the  Whitestone  Mills,  the  Elmwood  Mills,  the 
Steam  Mill,  now  called  the  Nottingham,  the  Allen 
Print  Works,  the  Barstow  Thread  Company,  the  Provi- 
dence Dyeing,  Bleaching  and  Calendering  Company, 


PROVIDENCE  AND  THE   R.   I.   COTTON    DISTRICT. 


125 


the  Rhode  Island  Bleach  and  Dye  Works,  the  Silver 
Spring  Bleaching  and  Dyeing  Company,  and  the  Valley 
Bleachery. 

Both  in  respect  to  natural  and  acquired  advantages  for 
the  carrying  on  of  the  cotton  manufacture,  Rhode  Island 
is  probably  not  excelled  by  any  other  section  in  the 
country.  Although  the  sites  along  the  rivers  available 
for  mills  have  been  preempted,  still  there  are  innumerable 
locations  that  under  present  conditions  are  just  as  well 


are  readily  accessible.  The  Worcester  Division  of  the 
New  York,  Providence  &  Boston  Railroad  runs  through 
the  valley  of  the  Blackstone  ;  the  Pa  wtuxet  Valley  division 
reaches  all  the  places  on  the  north  branches  of  the  Paw- 
tuxet  River,  while  the  New  York  &  New  England  Rail- 
road performs  the  same  service  for  the  other  branch  ; 
the  New  York,  Providence  &  Boston  Railroad  affords 
transportation  facilities  to  all  parts  of  southern  Rhode 
Island  through  its  main  line  and  branches  to  Wickford, 


THE  DOYLE  MONUMENT,  PROVIDENCE. 


adapted  for  the  purpose.  Nearly  all  the  factories  at 
present  existing  were  built  at  a  time  when  water-power 
was  considered  essential,  but  now  almost  any  position  on 
the  rivers  could  be  utilized,  since  the  motive-power 
would  be  furnished  by  steam  or  electricity,  and  the 
water  supply  is  abundant  for  all  other  necessary  purposes. 
Parallel  with  every  important  stream  and  along  the  banks 
of  many  of  the  lesser  rivers,  railroads  run,  so  that  every 
village  and  mill,  and  nearly  all  parts  of  every  river  valley 


Narragansett  Pier  and  Hope  Valley  ;  the  Providence  and 
Springfield  Railroad  reaches  all  the  villages  in  the  valley 
of  the  Woonasquatucket,  and  the  Warren  &  Bristol 
Division  of  the  Old  Colony  reaches  the  two  important 
places  that  its  name  indicates.  With  these  important  fac- 
tors in  her  favor,  and  the  added  advantage,  in  the  opinion 
of  cautious  and  well-informed  observers,  that  the  local 
climatic  conditions  are  extremely  favorable  for  the  man- 
ufacture of  cotton,  there  is  no  reason  why  Rhode  Island 


126 


THE  COTTON  CENTENNIAL. 


should  not  only  continue  to  hold  her  relative  position, 
but  should  outstrip  other  localities  and  lead  in  the  cotton 
manufacture  in  the  future  as  she  did  in  the  first  quarter 
of  the  century. 

The  great  increase  of  wealth  in  Providence  that  accom- 
panied the  growth  of  the  cotton  and  other  industries  has 
been  the  means  of  developing  all  the  conveniences  and 
advantages  essential  to  city  life  and  progress.  An  excel- 
lent system  of  water  works  has  been  in  operation  since 
1871.  For  many  years  the  sewerage  of  a  large  portion 
of  the  city  has  been  in  a  very  good  condition,  but  a  com- 
prehensive scheme  embracing  the  whole  city  and  its 
environs  is  now  in  progress,  and  when  completed  will 
place  Providence  in  the  front  rank  in  this  respect  among 
the  great  cities  of  the  world.  In  1872  a  tract  of  land  of 
over  one  hundred  and  ten  acres  was  given  to  the  city  by 
Miss  Betsy  Williams,  who  had  inherited  the  property  in 
direct  line  from  her  ancestor  Roger  Williams.  This  now 
constitutes  Roger  Williams  Park.  Between  Smith's  Hill 
and  Mount  Pleasant  a  large  estate  was  purchased  in  1890, 
for  use  as  a  park.  There  are,  beside,  various  small 
enclosures  scattered  throughout  the  city  that  serve  as 
"breathing  spaces"  for  the  constantly  increasing  popu- 
lation. Although  the  central  portions  are  located  on  the 
hill-sides  overlooking  the  confluence  of  the  rivers,  yet  the 
city  has  spread  out  over  the  plains  extending  in  all  direc- 
tion, and  these  regions,  are  now  residential  sections, 
chiefly  occupied  by  unpretentious  but  comfortable  homes. 
All  these  suburbs  are  park-like  in  character,  as  most  of  the 
houses  are  in  separate  grounds,  even  those  on  the  side 
streets,  and  the  streets  are  all  lined  with  trees,  while 
around  the  houses  trees  and  plants  flourish  in  the  majority 
of  instances.  On  some  of  the  main  avenues  are  beautiful 
mansion  houses  embowered  in  trees  and  surrounded  with 
well-kept  lawns,  and  on  the  East  side  these  residences 
particularly  abounded.  Many  of  the  palatial  mansions  in 
this  latter  neighborhood  are  the  homes  of  the  wealthy 
manufacturers,  and  in  architectural  style  and  elegance 
will  compare  favorably  with  any  similar  homes  elsewhere. 
In  the  line  of  educational  facilities,  Providence  can  boast 
of  Brown  University,  of  the  Friends'  School,  and  of  other 
well-known  institutions.  The  public  schools  are  admi- 
rably conducted,  the  buildings  being  as  a  rule  beauti- 
ful brick  structures,  fitted  up  with  the  latest  conveniences 
and  apparatus.  The  city  is  well  supplied  with  social, 
religious,  fraternal  and  other  institutions  based  on  unity  of 
action  on  the  part  of  large  numbers  in  the  community. 
The  improvement  of  the  railroad  terminal  facilities,  so 
long  delayed,  is  now  actively  in  progress.  When  this 
improvement  and  others  less  important  are  added  to  exist- 
ing advantages,  a  great  and  prosperous  future  undoubtedly 
lies  before  Providence,  it  will  become  even  more  desir- 
able as  a  place  of  residence  than  at  present,  and  as  a  busi- 
ness centre  will  have  unsurpassed  advantages. 
*  *  •  *  *  * 

Sixteen  miles  from  Providence,  on  the  Blackstone 
River,  is  the  city  of  Woonsocket,  which,  after  Providence 
and  Pawtucket  is  the  most  important  manufacturing  place 
in  Rhode  Island,  and  on  this  account  is  deserving  of 
an  extended  mention.  It  now  has  a  population  of  nearly 
twenty  thousand.  The  Blackstone  River  here  has  a  total 


fall  of  about  thirty  feet  over  three  dams,  and  the  tributary 
streams,  the  Mill  and  Peters  rivers  which  here  unite  with 
the  Blackstone,  have  falls  respectively  of  sixty  and  fifty- 
two  feet.  These  together  constitute  the  best  water- 
power  in  Rhode  Island,  which  is  quite  thoroughly  utilized 
for  manufacturing  purposes.  The  leading  industry  is  the 
cotton  manufacture,  which  is  carried  on  in  all  its  branches. 
A  larger  amount  of  cloth  is  probably  produced  here  than 
in  any  other  place  in  the  state.  The  woolen  manufacture 
is  also  carried  on  extensively.  There  are,  in  addition,  a 
variety  of  manufactures,  among  which  are  those  of  rub- 
ber goods,  knit  goods,  sewing  machines,  shuttles,  bob- 
bin and  some  others. 

The  growth  of  the  manufacturing  business  in  Woon- 
socket, as  it  exists  at  the  present  time,  dates  from  1810. 
There  had  been,  previously,  a  saw  mill,  dating  back  to 
1666,  a  corn  and  fulling  mill,  and  an  old  forge,  built 
somewhere  about  1720.  The  first  use  of  the  Woonsocket 
waters  as  a  motive  power  was  on  the  Blackstone,  where 
the  saw  mill  was  built,  the  second  on  Peters  River,  and  the 
third  on  Mill  River.  In  1807,  a  freshet  which  was  so 
remarkable  as  to  be  a  historic  one  for  Woonsocket,  swept 
away  or  disabled  all  the  buildings  on  the  banks  of  the 
waters  of  the  place.  At  this  time  the  proprietors  of  the 
water-privileges  were  James  Arnold,  Stephen  Wilcox 
and  Joseph  Arnold — the  first  owning  that  of  the  Black- 
stone,  the  second  at  Peters  River,  and  Joseph  Arnold  at 
Mill  River,  where,  and  by  the  assistance  of  the  owners, 
the  first  cotton  mill  was  started  in  1810. 

All  the  land  on  which  water-privileges  existed  came 
down  by  inheritance  from  Richard  Arnold,  who  built 
the  original  saw  mill,  and  Joseph  Arnold  was  one  of  the 
incorporators  of  a  company  called  the  Social  Manufactur- 
ing Company,  which  was  formed  October  24,  1810.  Mr. 
Arnold  sold  to  the  company  the  original  lot,  consisting 
of  four  acres  and  twenty-five  rods,  on  which  a  small 
wooden  structure  was  erected — now  a  part  of  the  boarding 
house  at  that  place.  There  were  eight  incorporators  in 
the  Social  Company,  each  person  being  limited  to  two 
shares.  This  mill  was  known  for  a  long  time  as  the 
"  Pistareen,"  and  contained  2,000  spindles.  There  were 
many  changes  in  the  company  ;  first  in  1814,  and  the 
Jenckes,  who  were  among  the  original  proprietors,  dis- 
posed of  their  rights  in  1822,  and  began  operations  at 
Peters  River,  now  known  as  Jenckesville.  The  first 
stone  mill  was  built  in  Woonsocket  in  1822  — the  second 
in  1828.  The  Social  Manufacturing  Company  built  a 
second  wooden  mill  in  1827,  which  is  now  a  part  of  a 
tenement  house  and  is  known  as  the  "  Castle."  In  1839, 
Mr.  Arnold  and  Mr.  Earle,  also  one  of  the  first  stock- 
holders, became  owners  in  common  of  the  plant.  In 
1840,  the  company  was  in  insolvency,  and  the  property 
came  into  the  hands  of  Dexter  Ballou,  who  had  come  to 
Woonsocket  in  1817,  and  Mr.  Ballou  with  his  brothers 
did  much  towards  the  prosperity  of  the  town  in  its  early 
days,  carried  on  the  mill  first  as  assignee  for  Arnold  & 
Earle.  In  1841,  he  bought  the  property  for  $25,000,  and 
began  the  erection  of  a  stone  mill.  In  1855,  this  prop- 
erty was  bought  by  Henry  Lippitt,  and  the  present 
Social  Manufacturing  Company  was  formed. 

James  Arnold  was  proprietor  of  the   water-power  at 


i  < 

i"  rn 


O      " 

I? 
Z 

O 

'i 

18 


128 


THE  COTTON  CENTENNIAL 


the  Blackstone.  He  was  not  a  manufacturer,  but  greatly 
assisted  in  the  progress  of  manufacturing  interests  here 
by  building  mills  and  shops  which  were  let  to  other 
parties.  The  sites  of  his  buildings  have  become  historic 
locations;  on  them  and  other  portions  of  land  belonging 
to  him,  industries  were  begun  which  have  made  Woon- 
socket  what  she  is  to-day.  On  one  of  them  Edward 
Harris,  begun  in  a  small  way,  that  enterprise  which  is 
known  wherever  woolen  goods  are  manufactured  into 
clothing  ;  here  also  the  Ballous  carried  on  their  industries, 
and  the  largest  mill,  that  built  by  George  C.  Ballou  on 
l.-ind  obtained  from 
James  Arnold,  has 
now,  like  the  mill 
property  originally 
derived  from  Jo- 
seph Arnold.passed 
into  the  possession 
of  Henry  Lippitt 
and  the  Social  Man- 
ufacturing Com- 
pany. Immediately 
after  the  freshet, 
James  Arnold  be- 
gan the  erection  of 
shops,  the  second 
one  being  built  in 
1810  —  the  only 
historic  value  of 
which  consists  in 
the  fact  that  here 
Welcome  Farnum 
first  begun  his 
career  as  a  woolen 
manufacturer.  The 
third  mill,  built  in 
1812,  was  occupied 
by  W.  &  D.  D. 
Farnum  for  mak- 
ing satinets ;  it  was 
burned  in  1829, 
and  March  26, 
1831,  the  property 
came  into  the  pos- 
session of  Edward 
Harris.  This  is 
where  he  began 
operations,  and  the 
building,  which  is 
still  in  existence, 
is  known  as  Harris  Mill  No.  I.  The  fourth  building 
was  erected  in  1814.  Here  Dexter  Ballou  began  to  spin 
cotton,  and  here  a  self-operating  mule  was  in  operation. 
In  1821,  this  was  conveyed  to  Daniel  Lyman,  and  has 
been  known  since  that  time  as  the  Lyman  Mill.  After 
this  mill  had  been  leased  to  Lyman,  Dexter  Ballou  hired 
the  old  saw  mill  from  James  Arnold,  and  with  his  father 
began  manufacturing.  In  1827,  he  and  his  brother  Hosea 
owned  the  right;  in  1828  Dexter  bought  the  whole,  and 
in  1829  the  mill  was  burned.  After  the  fire  he  erected  a 
brick  mill — the  first  improvement  on  this  lot.  A  wooden 


B.  B.   KNIGHT, 

OF   THE   FIRM   OF    B.    B.    &   R.    KNIQHT,    COTTON    MANUFACTURERS. 


building  for  a  storehouse,  and  one  for  a  machine  shop 
was  put  up  and  in  1835  these  wooden  buildings  were 
destroyed  by  fire.  The  following  year  Mr.  Ballou 
erected  a  stone  mill  and  connected  it  with  the  brick 
mill,  and  the  whole  was  known  as  the  Harrison  Mill 
until  1865,  when  it  came  into  the  possession  of  Ex- 
Governor  Lippitt. 

James  Arnold  died  in  1827,  and  his  estate  was  divided 
into  twenty  lots  —  the  heirs  of  S.  G.  Arnold  taking 
certain  lots,  and  the  heirs  of  Daniel  Lyman  others.  On  lot 
No.  3  stand  the  woolen  mills  of  the  Harris  Manufacturing 

Company.  Mill 
No.  2  was  built  in 
1840;  mill  No.  4 
in  1846,  and  in 
these  mills  Edward 
Harris  earned  his 
reputation  for  the 
goods  which  are 
known  by  his 
name.  The  large 
mill  on  Mill  River 
was  built  in  1865. 
The  Groton  Man- 
ufacturing Com- 
pany occupies  lots 
No.  8,  9  an  1  13. 
These  lots  were 
first  leased  to  John 
W.  Buffum,'  and 
two  mills  erected 
called  B  u  fTu  in '  s 
and  Law's.  The 
property  passed 
from  Buft'um  to 
Peter  J.  Cook  and 
Samuel  Shove; 
thence  to  A.  D. 
and  J.  Y.  Smith 
and  their  succes- 
sors. The  Lyman 
heirs  sold  six  of 
these  lots  to  Ben- 
jamin and  Thomas 
C.  Hoppin  in  1827; 
in  1830  the  prop- 
erty was  conveyed 
to  Edward  Car- 
rington,  and  in 
1845  to  George  C. 

and  O.  A.  Ballou,  with  others.  This  is  the  site  of  the 
Clinton  Mills.  Before  Mr.  Arnold  died  he  sold  a  large 
tract  of  land  to  Thomas  Arnold,  Thomas  A.  Paine 
and  Marvel  Shove,  who  were  the  original  proprietors 
of  the  stock  of  the  Globe  Manufacturing  Company. 
After  many  vicissitudes  this  property  was  owned  by 
George  C.  Ballou  in  1864.  On  this  site  Mr.  Ballou 
built  his  elegant  new  mill  to  replace  the  one  which  had 
been  destroyed  by  fire,  and  after  his  death  the  property 
came  into  the  hands  of  the  Social  Manufacturing 
Company. 


PROVIDENCE   AND  THE   R.   I.   COTTON   DISTRICT. 


The  mills  occupied  by  the  Social  Manufacturing  Com- 
pany have  been  enlarged  and  new  ones  erected.  The 
Harris  Woolen  Company  has  an  extensive  plant,  and  its 
business  has  not  materially  decreased  since  the  death  of 
Mr.  Harris.  The  Woonsocket  Rubber  Company,  which 
started  in  1864  in  a  small  way,  in  an  old  planing  mill, 
has  developed  until  a  large  mill,  one  of  the  finest  in  the 
state,  has  been  erected  for  the  manufacture  of  a  portion 
of  the  goods  made  by  the  company. 

The  name  Woonsocket  was  originally  applied  to  the 
compact  village  in  the  town  of  Cumberland,  on  the  east 
side  of  the  falls. 
In  1867  this  village 
with  the  neighbor- 
ing village  of  So- 
cial and  adjoining 
territory  was  set 
oft'  from  Cumber- 
land and  incorpo- 
rated as  the  town 
of  Woonsocket.  In 
1871  the  west  side, 
consisting  of  the 
villages  of  Globe, 
Bernon  and  Ham- 
let, were  set  oft" 
from  Smithfield 
and  added  to  the 
town.  A.  city  char- 
ter was  adopted  by 
vote  of  the  electors, 
November 6,  iSSS, 
and  the  first  city 
government  was 
inaugurated  Ja  n  - 
uary  7,  1889.  The 
Blackstone  River, 
spanned  by  seven 
highway  and  two 
railroad  bridges, 
flows  in  a  semi-cir- 
cular  course 
through  the  city. 

*        *        • 

In  the  following 
pages  accounts  are 
given  of  a  number 
of  the  concerns  in 
Providence  and 
the  Rhode  Island 
manufacturing  district,  that  have  been  prominently  con- 
nected with  the  growth  of  the  community,  and  whose 
history  is  constantly  a  matter  of  interest  when  the  cotton 
and  other  industries  are  alluded  to. 

*  *  *  »  * 

The  firm  of  B.  B.  &  R.  Knight,  whose  offices  and  head- 
quarters are  in  Providence,  carries  on  the  cotton  manu- 
facture on  a  larger  scale  than  any  other  firm  or  corpor- 
ation in  the  country  Its  growth  has  been  remarka- 
ble, and  the  development  of  the  cotton  mills,  from  the 
first  purchase  of  the  Pontiac  Mill  by  Robert  Knight  to 


STEPHEN  A.  KNIGHT, 


OF   THE    HEBRON    MANUFACTURING  COMPANY. 


the  large  number  at  present  owned  and  operated  by  the 
firm,  has  been  brought  about  in  a  single  generation.  The 
members  of  the  firm  to-day  are  its  original  members. 
None  of  the  property  or  business  has  come  by  descent  to 
either  member  of  the  concern,  but  the  entire  plant  is  the 
result  of  a  shrewd  and  successfully  conducted  business. 

The  firm  of  B.  B.  &  R.  Knight  originated  in  1852,  and 
began  business  at  Pontiac,  previously  known  as  Clarks- 
ville.  The  original  mill  here  was  erected  before  1820,  and 
after  it  had  been  run  unsuccessfully  by  its  owners,  it  came 
into  the  possession  of  John  H.  Clark,  who  gave  to  the 

vicinity  of  the  mill 
the  name  of  Clarks 
ville,  erected  in 
1834  a  stone  mill 
and  a  large 
bleachery  and  car- 
ried on  the  busi- 
ness until  1846, 
when  he  was 
elected  to  the  Uni- 
ted States  Senate. 
The  mills  were 
then  leased  to 
Zachariah  Parker 
who  had  been 
superintendent  and 
Robert  Knight 
who  had  been  a 
clerk  in  the  store, 
and  a  partnership 
was  formed.  In 
1850,  Parker  & 
Knight  purchased 
the  property ;  the 
following  year  Mr. 
Knight  bought  out 
his  partner's  inter- 
est, and  in  1852, 
sold  half  of  the 
business  and  prop- 
erty to  his  brother. 
Thus  the  firm  of 
B.  B.  &  R.  Knight 
was  begun.  Robert 
Knight  gave  the 
name  of  Pontiac  to 
the  property  as 
soon  as  it  came 
into  his  possession. 

Robert  Knight  was  put  at  work  in  the  Cranston  Print 
Works  at  the  age  of  8  years,  and  later  worked  in  the 
Coventry  Cotton  Mill  until  he  was  17  years  of  age. 
Thence  he  entered  the  store  of  his  brother  in  Providence, 
in  1843,  remaining  two  years,  anil  after  a  year  or  more 
at  the  Pawcatuck  Academy,  Westerly,  R.  I.,  he  entered 
the  factory  store  of  Mr.  Clark  in  Warwick,  soon  entering 
into  the  partnership  with  Zachariah  Parker,  as  mentioned. 
Benjamin  B.  Knight,  the  older  brother,  began  business  as 
a  grocer  in  Cranston  ;  thence  removing  to  Providence 
where  he  built  up  a  successful  trade.  In  1846  he  entered 


130 


THE   COTTON  CENTENNIAL 


the  commission  business,  dealing  largely  in  flour,  which 
he  continued  until  he  purchased  a  half  interest  in  his 
brother's  mill  and  property  at  Pontiac,  becoming  in  1852 
the  senior  partner  in  the  firm  of  B.  B.  &  R.  Knight. 

The  second  purchase  of  the  firm  was  the  mill  property 
located  in  Attleboro  on  what  was  called  the  "  Ten  Mile 
River,"  and  which  has  since  grown  to  the  village  of 
Hebronville.  Repairs  and  enlargements  were  begun,  when 
the  mill  was  struck  by  lightning  and  burned.  A  large 
brick  mill  was  then  erected,  which  contained  5,000 
spindles,  and  was  put  in  operation  July  I,  1854.  The 
same  year  the  mill  property  one  mile  above  Hebronville, 
known  as  Dodgeville,  was  purchased — a  cotton  factory 
which  was  built  in  1809,  and  was  one  of  the  oldest  in 
Massachusetts.  The  business  here  had  been  successful, 
and  the  mill  contained  nearly  five  thousand  spindles. 
After  its  purchase  by  Messrs.  Knight  it  was  enlarged  and 
the  tenements  put  in  repair,  and  later  still  further  enlarge- 
ments have  been  made.  These  mills  and  property, 
together  with  the  Grant  Mill  on  Carpenter  Street  in  Prov- 
idence, which  was  originally  built  for  a  hat  factory, 
but  was  purchased  in  1871  by  Messrs.  Knight,  are  run 
under  the  style  of  the  Hebron  Manufacturing  Com- 
pany, and  produce  the  cotton  shirting  known  as  the 
"  Fruit  of  the  Loom."  The  bleachery  has  been  several 
times  enlarged,  and  the  stone  mill  built  by  Mr.  Clark  at 
Pontiac  in  1834  was  torn  down  in  1863,  and  a  substan- 
tial brick  mill,  250x66,  with  an  ell  90x40,  having  a 
capacity  of  21,000  spindles,  was  erected  ;  and  in  1866  a 
brick  building,  used  as  a  factory  store  and  a  hall  where 
social  and  religious  meetings  are  held,  was  built  by  trie 
Messrs.  Knight. 

In  1872  the  firm  obtained  a  controlling  interest  in  the 
Manchaug  Mills  in  Sutton,  Mass.,  on  a  branch  of  the 
Blackstone.  These  mills  were  built  in  1828,  and,  after 
many  enlargements,  the  product  was  increased  so  that,  in 
1876,  under  the  Messrs.  Knight,  6,400,000  yards  of  "  Fruit 
of  the  Loom  "  cotton  were  made,  instead  of  640,000  in 
1835.  In  1874  the  White  Rock  Mill  in  Westerly,  up  to 
that  time  the  largest  mill  under  one  roof  in  the  possession 
of  the  firm,  was  purchased.  This  mill,  built  in  1826, 
contained  10,000  spindles,  but  was  afterward  enlarged 
to  a  capacity  of  27,000  spindles. 

In  1876  the  firm  purchased  from  the  estate  of  George 
C.  Ballou,  in  Woonsocket,  the  principal  interest  in  the 
Clinton  Mills,  of  that  place,  which  at  that  time  contained 
I5)OOO  spindles.  This  has  also  been  increased  and  new 
machinery  put  in  place.  In  1877  the  Fiskeville  factory, 
in  Scituate,  one  of  the  oldest  mills  in  the  state,  was  pur- 
chased. At  that  time  it  contained  only  4,000  spindles. 

The  purchase,  in  1882,  of  the  Natick  Mills  from  the 
Sprague  estate,  gave  Messrs.  Knight  the  largest  mill 
operated  by  them,  and  it  is  one  of  the  largest  cotton  mills 
in  the  country.  As  carried  on  by  the  Spragues  there 
were  four  separate  mills,  but  they  have  been  united  in 
one  mill  with  additions  so  that  one  continuous  roof  covers 
a  factory  1,183  feet  'ong  ar>d  six  stories  high.  Two 
thousand  operatives  are  employed  at  this  mill  alone.  The 
Arctic  Mill  was  purchased  from  the  Sprague  estate  in 
1885.  The  three  River  Point  Mills  and  the  old  mill  at 
Lippitt  came  into  their  possession  a  few  years  later.  All 


these  mills  have  been  enlarged  and  improved,  and  accord- 
ing to  official  reports  in  1889  the  total  number  of  spin- 
dles in  all  the  Messrs.  Knights  mills  was  369, 520,  nearly 
one  hundred  thousand  more  than  is  operated  by  any  other 
concern  in  the  country. 

Notwithstanding  an  exceedingly  busy  life  both  mem- 
bers of  the  firm  have  found  time  to  devote  to  other  ser- 
vices. In  1852  B.  B.  Knight  was  elected  to  the  General 
Assembly,  and  again  in  1872,  when  he  was  chairman  of 
the  finance  committee  in  the  lower  house.  Robert 
Knight  has  been  a  director  of  the  National  Bank  of  Com- 
merce for  years,  and  was  an  incorporator  of  the  People's 

Savings  Bank,  of  both  of  which  he  is  now  president. 

*  *  »  *  * 

The  plant  of  the  Fletcher  Manufacturing  Company,  on 
Charles  Street,  in  the  north  part  of  Providence,  is 
undoubtedly  the  largest,  in  the  line  of  goods  manufac- 
tured, in  this  country.  The  works  cover  more  than  four 
acres,  and  the  principal  productions  are  boot,  shoe  and 
corset  lacings,  lamp  and  stove  wicks,  various  kinds  of 
twines  and  braids,  braided  and  twisted  spindle  banding, 
and  yarns,  from  twenty  to  sixty,  in  skeins,  on  spools,  or 
ring  tied.  The  company  was  incorporated  in  1865,  with 
a  paid  up  capital  of  $300,000.  The  business,  which  was 
the  origin  of  the  extensive  plant  now  operated  by  the 
company,  was  begun  in  Boston  in  1793,  by  Thomas 
Fletcher,  who  came  from  England,  and  had  been 
thoroughly  trained  in  the  weaving  of  narrow  goods,  such 
as  tapes,  fringes,  lamp  wicks  and  the  like.  When  the 
Argand  lamp  was  first  introduced,  he  met  the  demand 
for  wicks  by  beginning  their  manufacture  at  once,  and  in 
1808  he  removed  to  Providence,  where  the  industry  was 
continued  with  success,  until  his  death,  in  1824.  His 
sons  took  up  the  business,  beginning,  in  1826,  the  manu- 
facture of  boot,  shoe  and  corset  lacings,  and  in  1840  the 
firm,  which  was  then  known  as  Fletcher  Brothers, 
occupied  a  mill  on  Charles  Street  known  in  the  early 
history  of  the  city  as  the  "town  grist-mill."  Here  the 
spinning  of  yarns  was  begun,  and  in  1844  the  firm  pur- 
chased the  land  now  occupied  by  the  company  and 
erected  its  first  building. .  When  petroleum  was  dis- 
covered and  kerosene  oil  began  to  be  extensively  used, 
the  demand  for  lamp  wicks  was  enormous,  and  still  con- 
tinues. The  goods  of  the  company  are  sold  and  known 
all  over  the  country,  and  over  seven  hundred  operatives 
are  employed.  The  officers  of  the  company  are  William 
B.  Fletcher,  president ;  William  Ames,  secretary  and 

treasurer. 

#  »  *  *  * 

The  Providence  Dyeing,  Bleaching  and  Calendering 
Company  is  one  of  the  industries  whose  origin  dates  back 
to  the  early  part  of  the  century.  It  was  formerly  known 
as  the  Patent  Calender  Company,  and  was  started  on 
Sabin  Street  in  1814  by  John  B.  Mason,  Benjamin  Dyer, 
Charles  Dyer,  Benjamin  Hoppin,  T.  C.  Hoppin,  Henry 
Hoppin,  Elisha  Dyer,  Smith  Bosworth,  Olney  Dyer  and 
Hercules  Whitney.  The  present  company  was  incor- 
porated in  1842,  and  in  addition  to  the  older  manufactory 
on  Sabin  Street,  which  occupies  over  an  acre  of  land, 
increased  accommodations  were  secured  in  a  smaller  fac- 
tory in  Olneyville.  The  bleaching  and  finishing  of  shirt 


PROVIDENCE   AND  THE   R.   1.  COTTON   DISTRICT. 


131 


ings,  nainsooks,  lawns,  cambrics 
and  similar  goods  has  been  the 
business  of  the  company,  and  its 
reputation  has  been  the  highest 
from  the  beginning.  Dyeing  has 
not  been  done  at  the  works  since 
1885.  The  capacity  of  the  works 
is  eight  tons  per  day.  Charles 
A.  Hoppin  is  treasurer,  and  John 
P.  Farnsworth  agent  of  the  com- 
pany. Its  incorporated  capital  is 

$192,000. 

*  »  » 

The  Whitestone  Mill,  situated 
en  Dexter  Street,  is  carried  on  by 
an  incorporated  company  of  which 
Francis  M.  Smith  is  president, 
and  Amos  D.  Smith  is  treasurer  ; 
and  this  company  succeeds  the  old 
firms  of  A.  D.  Smith  &  Company, 
and  A.  D.  &  J.  Y.  Smith  &  Com- 
pany,— both  being  pioneer  cotton 
manufacturers  in  Rhode  Island. 
Amos  D.  Smith,  the  founder  of 
these  firms,  was  born  in  Groton, 

Conn.,  in  1805,  and  after  some  experience  in  the 
wholesale  grocery  business  he  started  in  1828  a  small 
cotton  mill  in  Johnston  with  a  few  hundred  spindles, 
sending  the  yarn  into  the  rural  districts  to  be  woven  on 
hand  looms.  After  some  years  he  became  interested  in 
the  Union  Mill,  owned  by  his  father-in-law,  Henry  P. 
Franklin;  and  in  1848,  with  his  brother-in-law,  Charles 
H.  Franklin,  he  purchased  an  interest  in  the  Merino  Mill 
at  Johnston,  adjoining  his  other  mill  there.  In  1850,  the 
interest  of  all  parties  in  these  three  mills  was  consoli- 
dated and  an  incorporated  company  formed  by  Mr.  Smith, 
Charles  H.  Franklin  and  the  heirs  of  Henry  P.  Franklin. 
In  1843,  Mr.  Smith  formed  a  partnership  with  his 
younger  brother  James  Y.,  who  had  been  in  the  lumber 
business,  and  the  firm  of  A.  D.  &  J.  Y.  Smith  was  the 
representative,  from  that  time,  of  the  manufacturing  inter- 
ests in  which  each  of  the  brothers  had  invested  capital. 
It  also  did  a  general  wholesale  business.  In  1845,  the 
firm  purchased  the  mill  in  Willimantic  which  Thomas 
J.  Hill  had  fitted  with  machinery  and  this  was  called  the 
Smithville  Manufacturing  Company.  The  interest  of 
other  parties  in  a  mill  in  Woonsocket,  called  the  Groton 
Mill,  and  afterwards  Law's  Mill,  was  also  bought,  and  a 
charter  obtained  for  this  enterprise  under  the  name  of  the 
Groton  Manufacturing  Company.  In  1856,  Henry  J. 
and  Francis  M.,  two  sons  of  A.  D.  Smith,  were  admitted 
to  the  firm,  and  the  concern  then  bought  the  Providence 
Steam  Mill,  which  was  started  in  1827  by  Samuel  Slater 
and  after  a  series  of  vicissitudes  had  been  sold  at  auction. 
In  1862  James  Y.  Smith  retired  from  the  firm,  the  third 
son  of  A.  D.  Smith  was  admitted,  and  the  style  became 
A.  D.  Smith  &  Company.  In  1865,  the  mill  on  Dexter 
Street,  now  called  the  Whitestone  Mill  was  purchased.  It 
had  formerly  been  the  State  Arsenal,  later  the  Durfee  Mill, 
and  being  run  by  Messrs.  Smith  in  connection  with  the 
Groton  Mill,  was  called  the  Groton  Mill  No,  2.  Amos  D. 


THE   LIPPITT   MANSION,   PROVIDENCE. 


Smith  died  in  1877,  and  the  business  was  carried  on  by  his 
sons  under  the  same  name.  On  the  retirement  of  James  Y. 
Smith  from  the  old  firm,  he  began  business  in  his  own 
name,  and  after  the  war  erected  a  cotton  mill  in  that  part 
of  Cranston  called  Elmwood,  now  a  part  of  Providence, 
and  which  is  known  as  the  Elmwood  Mill.  The  busi- 
ness conducted  in  this  mill  was  organized  as  the  J.  Y. 
Smith  Manufacturing  Company,  and  produced  the  Elm- 
wood  shirting,  which  has  always  maintained  an  excellent 
reputation.  In  1863,  Mr.  Smith  was  elected  governor  of 
Rhode  Island,  and  during  the  time  which  was  the  most 
eventful  and  important  in  the  history  of  the  state  in  con- 
nection with  the  suppression  of  the  Rebellion,  Governor 
Smith  rendered  efficient  service  by  his  ability  to  cope 
with  the  extraordinary  exigencies  of  that  period,  filling  all 
the  quotas  of  the  state  by  voluntary  enlistments,  and 
avoidingthe  necessity  of  a  draft ;  he  was  re-elected  in  1864- 
65  —  the  latter  year  by  a  majority  from  every  town  and 
ward  in  the  state,  a  case  believed  to  be  unparalleled  in 
any  state  in  the  Union.  In  1866,  Chartes  A.  Nichols, 
Mr.  Smith's  son-in-law,  was  admitted  to  the  firm,  which 
became  James  Y.  Smith  &  Nichols,  and  in  1873,  on  the 
admission  of  Horatio  Rogers,  who  had  married  the 
younger  daughter  of  Mr.  Smith,  the  style  of  the  firm  was 
James  Y.  Smith,  Nichols  &  Rogers.  On  the  death  of 
James  Y.  Smith  in  1876,  the  business  was  carried  on  by 
the  surviving  partners  until  the  death  of  Mr.  Nichols  in 
1877,  after  which  General  Rogers  carried  on  the  mills 
for  a  time  under  the  old  firm  name.  The  Elmwood  Mill 
is  now  in  the  hands  of  other  parties.  When  the  Messrs. 
Smith  came  to  Providence  the  manufacturing  industry 
was  in  its  infancy  ;  the  population  of  the  city  was  scarcely 
fifteen  thousand  ;  they  lived  to  see  Providence  one  of  the 
most  important  manufacturing  centres  in  New  England, 
its  population  having  increased  nearly  eight-fold,  and  its 
wealth  in  still  greater  proportion. 


132 


THE  COTTON  CENTENNIAL. 


ST.  JOHN'S  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH,  PROVIDENCE. 


GROSVENOR-DALE  COMPANY,  WILLIAM  GROSVENOK. 
— The  germ  of  the  extensive  mills,  now  owned  by  the 
Grosvenor-Dale  Company,  was  a  small  factory  in  Thomp- 
son, Conn.,  established  early  in  1812,  by  John  Mason,  a 
farmer  of  that  town,  with  four  of  his  neighbors  and  his 
brother,  General  James  B.  Mason,  a  merchant  of  Prov- 
idence. They  purchased  land  and  a  mill-privilege  on 
the  French  River,  March  3,  1812,  and  erected  a  factory, 
sixty  feet  long,  thirty-six  feet  wide,  and  three  stories  high, 
and  equipped  it  with  machinery  having  i, 600  spindles. 
In  a  little  more  than  a  year,  General  Mason  became  sole 
proprietor,  and  sold  one-half  to  his  brothers,  William 
H.,  and  Amasa,  also  merchants  of  Providence. 

General  Mason  having' died,  his  widow,  Alice,  and 
William  H.  Mason  leased  their  respective  shares  to  Amasa 
Mason,  who  then  commenced  an  active  relation  to  the 
business  which  subsisted  for  some  twenty-seven  years. 

In  1826,  on  the  2yth  of  January,  Amasa  and  William 
H.  Mason  bought  the  mill-privilege  about  a  half  a  mile 
higher  up  the  stream,  and  erected  a  factory  of  stone, 
eighty  feet  long,  forty  feet  wide,  and  four  stories  high, 
with  machinery  of  twenty-five  hundred  spindles.  They 
organized  the  business  under  the  name  of  the  Masonville 
Company.  In  1831,  a  brick  factory  was  erected,  ninety- 
two  feet  long,  forty  feet  wide,  and  four  stories  high,  and 
also  having  twenty-five  hundred  spindles. 

In  1840  the  old  factory  of  1812  was  increased  in  length 
one  hundred  feet,  the  old  machinery  being  replaced  by 
new,  increasing  the  number  of  spindles  to  twenty-seven 
hundred. 


The  health  of  Amasa  Mason 
having  failed,  he  retired  from  busi- 
ness in  1848,  and  died  Novem- 
ber 13,  1852.  He  was  succeeded 
in  the  management  of  the  business 
by  William  Grosvenor. 

William  Grosvenor  was  born  in 
Killingly,  Conn.,  April  30,  1810, 
and  was  educated  for  the  medical 
profession,  which  he  practiced  for 
some  years  in  his  native  town.  On 
his  marriage  to  Rosa  Anne,  daugh- 
ter of  James  B.  Mason,  which 
occurred  August  22,  1836,  he 
removed  to  Providence,  and  com- 
menced there  the  practice  of  his 
profession.  His  tastes,  however, 
inclined  him  to  mercantilepursuits, 
and  in  a  short  time  he  engaged  in 
business  as  a  wholesale  merchant 
in  drugs  and  dye-stuffs.  He  after- 
wards engaged  also  in  calico- 
printing,  which  he  carried  on  till 
1860.  In  1854  anc'  after,  he  bought 
all  the  stock  of  the  Masonville 
Company,  except  one  and  seven- 
eighths  shares  belonging  to  his 
wife.  In  1859,  a  structure  was 
erected  at  the  upper  privilege, 
uniting  the  original  stone  factory 
of  1826  with  the  brick  factory  of 

1831 ,  increasing  the  capacity  to  eleven  thousand  spindles. 
In  1862,  the  wooden  mill  at  the  lower  privilege  was 
removed,  and  the  erection  of  a  factory  of  brick,  one- 
hundred  and  sixty  feet  long,  sixty-six  feet  wide,  and  five- 
stories  high,  with  an  ell,  eighty  feet  by  forty,  was  com- 
menced on  its  site.  It  was  putin  operation  in  1865,  with 
about  nineteen  thousand  spindles. 

The  village,  one  and  a  half  miles  north  of  Masonville, 
was  known  till  1868  as  Fisherville.  A  cotton  factory  had 
been  established  there  by  William  Fisher  and  others. 
The  property  was  purchased  March  31, 1864,  and  in  1868, 
consolidated  with  the  property  of  the  Masonville  Com- 
pany. At  the  same  time  the  name  of  the  company  was 
changed  to  Grosvenor-Dale  Company  ;  Masonville  receiv- 
ing the  name  of  Grosvenor-Dale,  and  Fisherville  that  of 
North  Grosvenor-Dale.  In  the  same  year  was  commenced 
the  erection  of  the  new  mill  at  North  Grosvenor-Dale. 
It  is  four  hundred  and  sixty-four  feet  long,  seventy-three 
feet  wide,  and  of  four  stories  with  an  attic,  the  latter 
being  well  lighted  and  filled  with  machinery.  There  is 
an  extension,  measuring  one  hundred  and  twenty-eight 
by  sixty-seven  feet,  of  equal  height  with  the  main  factory, 
and  an  ell,  one  hundred  and  fifty-seven  feet  by  fifty  feet, 
also  separate  buildings  for  steam  engines,  boiler,  and  gas 
works.  There  are  65,000  spindles.  In  architectural 
style,  solidity  of  construction,  convenience  of  arrange- 
ments, and  adaptation  to  economical  working  in  every 
part,  it  is  a  model  group  of  mills,  unsurpassed  in  this  coun- 
try. The  business  was  organized  as  a  corporation  July 
12,  1883,  under  a  charter  granted  by  the  legislature  of 


PROVIDENCE  AND  THE  R.  I.  COTTON  DISTRICT. 


133 


Connecticut,    with  the  name  of  Grosvenor-Dale  Com- 
pany. 

William  Grosvenor  died  August  17,  iSSS.  For  nearly 
forty  years  he  gave  personal  attention  to  the  financial  inter- 
ests of  the  concern,  conducting  them  with  consummate 
ability  and  success,  the  facilities  for  manufacture  having 
been  increased,  under  his  wise  and  enterprising  manage- 
ment, more  than  twelve  fold.  A  gentleman  of  command- 
ing personal  presence,  genial  and  courteous  in  manners, 
kindly  and  generous,  liberal  and  hospitable,  he  strongly 


a  partner  with  Samuel  Slater  when  a  young  man  ;  as  the 
result  of  that  partnership  he  founded  a  business  whose 
products  are  known  wherever  cotton  or  worsted  machin- 
ery is  used  —  a  business  which  has  grown,  from  a  part- 
nership where  Mr.  Hill  had  nothing  but  experience  and 
indomitable  industry  to  place  against  the  capital  of  Samuel 
Slater,  to  an  establishment  which  is  to-day  one  of  the 
largest  of  its  kind  in  the  country.  Its  success  was  assured 
from  the  beginning,  and  to-day  Mr.  Hill  is  not  only  the 
largest  owner  in  the  Machine  Company,  but  is  interested 


WORKS  OF  THE  PROVIDENCE  MACHINE  COMPANY. 


attracted  to  himself  those  with  whom  he  had  frequent,  or 
casual,  intercourse.  He  was  deeply  beloved  in  the  domes- 
tic circle,  esteemed  and  respected  in  the  best  society  of 
the  city,  — his  home  for  more  than  half  a  century  —  and 
honored  among  the  merchants  and  manufacturers  of  New 
England,  for  his  integrity,  capacity  and  enterprise,  and 
regarded  as  one  of  its  ablest  business  men.  For  several 
years  before  his  death,  retaining  a  general  supervision  of 
the  business,  he  committed  its  details  and  responsibility 
to  his  oldest  son,  who  succeeded  him  as  treasurer;  and, 
since  the  death  of  his  father,  has  been  the  executive  head 
of  the  company,  its  stock  being  held  by  himself,  his  bro- 
ther, and  his  sister.  The  record  of  the  development 
from  the  little  factory  in  the  swamp,  with  its  1,600  spindles, 
to  the  present  aggregation  of  mills,  of  over  fifty  fold  capac- 
ity, has  been  one  of  exceptional  success  among  the  cotton 
industries  of  the  country. 

»  *  *  *  » 

If  the  life  of  Samuel  Slater  represents  the  successful 
establishment  of  cotton  spinning  in  this  country,  that  of 
Thomas  J.  Hill,  the  president  and  treasurer  of  the  Prov- 
idence Machine  Company,  stands  preeminently  the  repre- 
sentative of  the  furtherance  of  that  industry  by  the  build- 
ing of  machinery  for  use  in  the  cotton  mills.  Mr. 
Hill  worked  in  the  Old  Slater  Mill  when  a  boy  ;  he  was 


in  other  manufacturing  establishments,  giving  to  them 
much  of  his  personal  direction.  Though  he  has  passed 
his  eighty-fifth  birthday,  he  can  be  found  at  the  works  of 
the  Machine  Company  nearly  every  morning  before  a 
large  share  of  the  present  generation  has  arisen. 

Mr.  Hill  was  born  in  Pawtucket,  March  4,  1805.  His 
father  was  a  blacksmith  and  moved  to  Pawtucket  near  the 
beginning  of  the  present  century,  depending  for  his 
patronage,  largely,  upon  the  cotton  factories  which  were 
being  established.  He  did  not  accumulate  much  prop- 
erty and  the  young  man  was  compelled  to  begin  work 
at  the  very  early  age  of  8  years,  when  he  was  a  mill  boy  in 
the  Old  Slater  Mill,  remaining  there  but  a  few  weeks. 
From  that  time  he  was  variously  employed  in  different 
factories,  taking  his  first  lessons  in  the  working  of  iron 
from  his  father,  until  February  28,  1822,  when  he  became 
an  apprentice  in  the  shop  of  Pitcher  &  Gay,  which  was 
at  that  time  one  of  the  largest  machine  shops  in  the 
country,  devoted  to  the  manufacture  of  cotton  machinery. 
During  his  apprenticeship  many  improvements  were 
made  in  the  processes  of  cotton  spinning  ;  the  power-loom 
was  placed  in  successful  operation  and  the  geared  speeder 
was  manufactured  by  the  firm  by  whom  young  Hill  was 
employed.  He  continued  with  Pitcher  &  Gay  eight 
years,  taking  some  contracts  on  his  own  account,  until 


134 


THE   COTTON    CENTENNIAL. 


April,  1830,  when  he  took  charge  of  the  machine  shop 
of  the  Providence  Steam  Cotton  Manufacturing  Company, 
which  was  at  that  time  owned  by  Mr.  Slater  and  two  of  his 
sons.  The  business  of  cotton  manufacture  was  increas- 
ing and  demanded  more  room  than  in  the  existing  build- 
ings, and  Mr.  Hill  foresaw  the  advisability  of  making  a 
separate  industry  of  the  building  of  machinery,  from 
which  grew  the  organization  of  the  Providence  Machine 
Company  — Samuel  Slater  and  Thomas  J.  Hill  being 
partners  in  the  business.  Mr.  Slater  furnished  the  money 
and  was  to  have  three-fifths  of  the  profits,  Mr.  Hill  con- 
tributing his  experience  and  receiving  the  remaining  two- 
fifths.  This  was  the  foundation  of  the  extensive  establish- 
ment operated  by  the  Providence  Machine  Company. 

The  next  year  Mr.  Slater  died,  and  his  interest  in  the 
Machine  Company  passed  to  other  parties,  largely  those 
in  control  of  the  Steam  Manufacturing  Company,  but  the 
industry  was  carried  on  successfully  and  continued  under 
Mr.  Hill's  management,  his  own  interest  being  retained 
at  the  same  time.  In  1845,  Mr.  Hill  bought  the  land 
where  the  works  of  the  Providence  Machine  Company 
now  stand,  began  the  erection  of  a  new  building,  and 
purchased,  August  26,  1846,  the  interests  of  the  mill 
people  in  the  plant  which  had  been  started  by  himself  and 
Mr.  Slater.  The  business  at  the  new  shop  was  carried 
on  by  Mr.  Hill  in  his  own  name  until  the  completion  of 
this  purchase,  when  the  machinery  was  removed  to  its 
present  location,  and  Mr.  Hill,  who  then  became  sole  pro- 
prietor of  the  entire  industry,  assumed  the  old  firm  name 
of  the  Providence  Machine  Company.  The  plant  grad- 
ually increased,  new  buildings  were  erected  and  improve- 
ments made,  and  in  1874,  the  business  was  organized  as 
a  joint  stock  company,  with  a  capital  of  $350,000.  The 
manufacture  of  specialties  in  cotton  machinery  has  been 
largely  carried  on,  notably  that  of  the  Davol  speeder, 
and  a  fly-frame  which  was  first  made  in  England,  and 
whose  manufacture  in  this  country  had  proved  unsuccess- 
ful until  Mr.  Hill  gave  to  it  years  of  personal  attention. 
Since  that  time  it  has  entered  into  competition  with  the 
English  fly-frame,  and  it  has  been  found  that  the  machines 
made  at  the  works  of  the  Providence  Machine  Company 
last  longer,  run  lighter  and  need  fewer  repairs  than  those 
of  the  English  make.  The  first  frame  of  this  kind  made 
by  Mr.  Hill  was  for  use  by  the  Naumkeag  Mill,  in 
Salem,  Mass.  The  main  building  of  the  company  is 
220x60,  and  parallel  to  this,  connecting  with  it  in  the 
centre,  is  another  220  x  36.  There  is  also  a  foundry, 
pattern  shop,  store  houses,  office  and  other  buildings  — 
covering  an  area  of  some  two  acres  which  are  owned  by  the 
company  and  three  more  which  are  the  private  property 
of  Mr.  Hill.  Thomas  J.  Hill  is  president  and  treasurer 
of  the  company. 

Although  the  development  of  the  business  of  the  Prov- 
idence Machine  Company  has  been  Mr.  Hill's  life  work, 
he  has  been  engaged  in  other  enterprises  at  different 
periods  in  his  life,  and  is  thus  connected  at  the  present 
time.  In  1837  he  purchased  a  mill  in  Willimantic, 
repaired  it  and  put  in  new  machinery,  which  he  sold 
in  1845  to  A.  D.  &  J.  Y.  Smith  ;  in  1852  he  became 
associated  with  Francis  Skinner,  Benj.  E.  Bates  and 
others  in  the  erection  of  the  Bates  Mills  in  Lewiston, 


Me.,  and  started  a  foundry  and  machine  shop  there  ; 
these  were  later  sold  to  other  parties  and  have  proved 
successful  industries.  In  1863,  Mr.  Hill  purchased  a 
large  tract  of  land  in  Warwick,  January  12,  1867,  an 
application  was  made  for  the  incorporation  of  the  Rhode 
Island  Malleable  Iron  Works,  and  a  plant  was  established 
for  the  manufacture  of  malleable  iron  castings.  Mr.  Hill 
made  additional  purchases  of  land,  built  and  bought 
houses  for  rent  to  the  workmen,  and  from  this  has 
developed  a  beautiful  village  known  as  Hill's  Grove.  A 
depot  was  erected,  half  the  expense  of  which  was  borne 
by  Mr.  Hill.  He  also  has  built  a  fine  school-house,  and 
other  business  men  of  Providence  have  put  up  residences 
in  the  vicinity.  In  1875  Mr.  Hill  erected  a  large  mill, 
fitting  .it  with  improved  cotton  machinery,  at  this  place, 
and  May  19,  1879,  an  incorporated  company  was  formed, 
which  started  the  Elizabeth  Mill,  so  named  after  the  wife 
of  Mr.  Hill.  Fine  cotton  yarns  are  the  principal  produc- 
tion of  this  mill,  and  the  company  in  1886  purchased  the 
mill  in  East  Greenwich,  formerly  known  as  the  Peckham 
Mill,  and  which  had  been  re-stocked  with  machinery  in 
1854.  The  first  and  large  mill  at  Hill's  Grove  is  known 
as  Elizabeth  Mill  No.  i,  and  contains  20,000  spindles  — 
that  at  East  Greenwich  is  known  as  Elizabeth  Mill  No. 
2,  and  contains  7.800  spindles.  Mr.  Hill  is  president  of 
this  company  and  of  the  Malleable  Iron  Company.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  Common  Council  of  Providence  in 
the  years  1848-52;  1855-56;  and  1878.  For  more  than 
thirty  years  he  has  been  president  of  the  Lime  Rock 
National  Bank,  and  a  director  in  other  institutions. 
*  »  *  »  » 

The  cotton  mills  of  the  Social  Manufacturing  Com- 
pany contribute  very  largely  to  the  prosperity  of  Woon- 
socket,  R.  I.  The  history  of  their  growth,  from  the  time 
of  the  purchase  of  the  Social  and  Harrison  mills  in  1854, 
to  the  present  time,  when  the  plant  consists  of  three  large 
mills,  the  Social,  the  Globe  and  the  Nourse.  is  at  the 
same  time  a  history  of  the  business  success  and  enterprise 
of  ex-Governor  Henry  Lippitt,  the  principal  owner  of 
the  stock  and  treasurer  of  the  company. 

Henry  Lippitt  was  born  in  Providence,  October  9, 
1818,  and  is  a  descendant  of  John  Lippitt,  who  came  to 
Rhode  Island  in  1638,  and  was  the  first  of  that  name  in 
this  country.  Christopher  and  Charles  Lippitt,  great- 
grandsons  of  John,  were  among  the  pioneer  manufact- 
urers of  the  state,  and  the  two  brothers,  with  others, 
organized  the  Lippitt  Manufacturing  Company  in  1809. 
Charles'  son  Warren,  the  father  of  Henry  Lippitt,  was  a 
sea  captain,  and  afterwards  a  cotton  merchant  in  Prov- 
idence and  Savannah,  but  on  the  decease  of  his  father  he 
was  chosen  treasurer  of  the  Lippitt  Manufacturing  Com- 
pany, holding  the  position  until  1850,  the  time  of  his 
death.  Governor  Lippitt,  on  the  completion  of  his 
studies  in  Kingston  Academy,  entered  the  employ  of 
Barr  &  Smith,  of  Warren,  and  in  November,  1835,  he 
returned  to  Providence,  where  he  was  for  three  years 
book-keeper  for  Josiah  Chapin  &  Company,  the  largest 
cotton  firm  in  the  city.  In  1838,  Mr.  Lippitt  associated" 
himself  with  Edward  Walcott  in  the  cornmission  busi- 
ness, the  firm  being  Walcott  &  Lippitt,  with  Amory 
Chapin  as  special  partner.  On  the  retirement  of  Mr. 


THE    SOCIAL. 


THE    NOURSE. 


THE    GLOBE. 
THE  FACTORIES  OF  THE  SOCIAL  MANUFACTURING  COMPANY,  WOONSOCKET,  R.  I. 


136 


THE  COTTON   CENTENNIAL 


Walcott  in  1840,  Mrl  Chapin  became  an  active  partner, 
and  the  firm  of  Amory  Chapin  &  Company  continued 
until  1846,  doing  an  extensive  traffic  in  bale  cotton  and 
print  cloths,  when  Mr.  Chapin  died,  and  Robert  L.,  a 
younger  brother  of  Mr.  Lippitt,  became  a  partner.  In 
1848,  the  two  brothers,  with  the  assistance  of  their  father 
and  some  Providence  capitalists,  purchased  the  Tiffany 
mill  in  Danielsonville,  Conn.,  from  Comfort  Tiffany,  the 
father  of  Charles  L.,  the  senior  partner  of  Tiffany  & 
Company,  of  New  York.  This  was  the  beginning  of 
Mr.  Lippitt's  manufacturing  experience  on  his  own 
account.  The  following  year,  a  corporation  was  formed 
under  the  style  of  the  Quinebaug  Manufacturing  Com- 
pany. The  original  mill  property  included  300  acres  of 
land  and  3,000  spindles.  Another  mill  of  10,000  spindles 
was  erected,  and  in  1850,  Governor  Lippitt's  father  died. 
Amos  D.  and  Moses  B.  Lockwood  purchased  an  interest 
in  the  company,  which  was  reorganized,  and  the  mill 
was  fitted  up  for  the  manufacture  of  delaines.  In 
addition  to  this  industry,  the  Lippitt  brothers  hired  the 
Coddington  Mill  at  Newport,  where  cotton  goods  were 
manufactured  until  1853,  when  the  mill  was  burned. 
The  following  year  the  brothers  sold  out  their  interest  in 
the  Quinebaug  Manufacturing  Company,  and  purchased 
an  interest  in  the  Social  and  Harrison  mills  in  Woon- 
socket,  entering  into  a  manufacturing  business  which  has 
continued  up  to  the  present  time,  and  continues  to  fur- 
nish employment  to  a  large  number  of  people. 

In  1858  Robert  L.  Lippitt  died,  and  his  interest  was 
purchased  by  Governor  Lippitt,  who  closed  up  his  com- 
mission business  and  decided  to  devote  his  entire  time  to 
manufacturing.  The  building  and  machinery  was 
increased  to  a  capacity  of  40,000  spindles,  and  in  ,1874 
the  mill  was  burned.  A  brick  mill,  with  a  capacity  of 
60,000  spindles,  was  built  the  same  year.  It  has  two 
large  towers  and  a  clock,  and  on  the  facade  are  the  words 
"  Burned  1874  —  Erected  1874."  October  25,  1876,  the 
Globe  mills,  in  an  opposite  part  of  Woonsocket,  were 
purchased.  This  plant  was  built  by  George  C.  Ballou 
in  1864,  who  added  to  it  in  1873  a  new  stone  mill,  in 
which  he  personally  fed  the  first  cotton  in  the  moving 
lapper.  On  his  decease  the  heirs  made  an  assignment, 
and  the  property  was  sold  at  auction.  The  old  mill  con- 
tained 8,576  spindles  and  the  new  one  35,392,  and  the 
Social  Manufacturing  Company  bought  the  entire  prop- 
erty for  $363,000.  The  company  now  had  about  104,000 
spindles,  and  the  capital  stock,  which  was  originally 
$300,000,  was  increased  January  i,  1870  to  $600,000, 
and  in  1874  to  $1,000,000.  In  1882,  the  Nourse  Mill, 
which  is  situated  a  short  distance  opposite  the  Social,  was 
begun  and  completed  in  October,  1883,  making  three 
large  mills  which  are  the  property  of  the  Social  Manu- 
facturing Company,  the  new  mill  being  named  after 
Charles  Nourse,  who  had  been  resident  agent  for  twenty- 
five  years.  About  the  same  grade  of  goods  is  manufact- 
ured in  the  three  mills  —  their  product  being  twills, 
sateens,  fancy  and  plain  cotton  goods.  A  coarser  line  of 
cottons  is  produced  at  the  Social,  and  the  Nourse  makes 
the  finest  grade.  The  same  superintendent  has  charge  of 
the  Social  and  Nourse  mills,  and  the  office  is  in  a  hand- 
somely furnished  building  erected  especially  for  this  pur- 


pose. There  is  a  separate  office  and  superintendent  for 
the  Globe  —  its  situation  being  a  considerable  distance 
away  from  the  other  two  mills.  The  portions  of  Woon- 
socket covered  by  the  Social  and  Globe  mills  constitute 
villages  by  themselves  —  and  a  large  number  of  tenements 
are  owned  by  the  company.  They  are,  however,  inade- 
quate for  the  accommodation  of  the  operatives,  some  of 
whom  are  compelled  to  seek  habitation  outside.  Within 
the  past  year  a  new  machine  shop  has  been  erected  at 
the  Social  mills,  and  the  old  shop  utilized  by  the  addition 
of  142  looms.  The  yam  used  in  the  manufacture  of  the 
goods,  in  all  the  mills,  is  spun  on  the  premises.  The 
capacity  of  the  Social  Mill  is  1,380  looms,  53,8.24 
spindles;  the  Globe  933  looms,  41,040  spindles;  the 
Nourse,  542  looms,  42,912  spindles.  The  difference 
in  the  proportionate  number  of  spindles  to  a  loom  between 
the  Nourse  and  the  Social  and  Globe  mills  is  owing  to  a 
difference  in  the  machinery.  Three  hundred  and  fifty 
operatives  are  employed  at  the  Nourse  Mill,  450  at  the 
Globe  and  650  at  the  Social.  Power  for  the  Social  and 
Globe  mills  is  furnished  by  steam  and  water  in  combi- 
nation ;  the  Nourse  is  run  entirely  by  steam,  the  power 
being  furnished  by  a  Corliss  compound  tandem  engine, 
of  1,000  horse-power.  The  Social  Mill  has  also  a  1,000 
horse-power  engine.  The  products  of  the  mills  are  sold 
largely  in  the  brown  ;  but  for  bleaching  purposes,  when 
desired,  the  Silver  Spring  Bleachery,  of  which  Governor 
Lippitt  is  the  principal  owner,  is  utilized.  The  goods 
are  sold  directly  to  jobbers  by  the  commission  firm  of  H. 
Lippitt  &  Company,  of  Providence,  which  represents  not 
only  the  Social  Manufacturing  Company,  but  the  Lippitt 
Woolen  Company,  and  other  manufacturing  establish- 
ments with  which  Mr.  Lippitt  is  connected.  The  present 
officers  ofthe  Social  Manufacturing  Company  are,  C.  H. 
Merriman,  president;  Henry  Lippitt,  treasurer. 
*  »  *  *  * 

The  Silver  Spring  Bleachery  and  Dyeing  Company 
was  incorporated  in  1864,  with  a  capital  of  $200,000.  A 
controlling  interest  in  the  old  Silver  Spring  bleachery, 
which  is  situated  in  Providence  and  which  began  opera- 
tions in  1850,  was  purchased  in  1862  by  ex-Governor 
Henry  Lippitt.  Included  in  the  purchase  were  eighty 
acres  of  land,  one  and  five-eighths  of  which  are  within  the 
walls  of  the  buildings.  The  capital  stock  has  since  been 
increased  to  $400,000.  Henry  Lippitt  is  president  ofthe 
corporation,  and  his  son,  Charles  W.  Lippitt,  is  treasurer, 
agent  and  manager.  At  this  establishment  is  done  all 
the  bleaching  for  the  Social  Manufacturing  Company, 
though  a  large  share  of  the  products  of  the  mills  of  this 
company  is  sold  in  the  brown.  The  name  of  this  bleach- 
ery was  given  from  the  copious  and  pure  springs  in  the 
vicinity,  which  are  excellent  for  the  purposes  of  the  works, 
the  water  filtering  through  a  stratum  of  finest  sand  twenty 
feet  under  ground,  and  there  is  an  abundance  of  such 
water.  In  addition  to  the  bleachery  proper,  printing 
machinery  has  been  set  up,  and  a  genuine  turkey  red 
print  has  been  produced,  as  well  as  other  colors  on  the 
same  basis,  equal  in  every  respect  to  the  colors  made  at 
the  famous  works  in  England.  The  capacity  of  the  works 
is  fourteen  thousand  pieces  per  week,  and  some  two 
hundred  people  are  employed. 


PROVIDENCE  AND  THE  R.  I.  COTTON  DISTRICT. 


137 


Spool  cotton  is  an  article  of  merchandise  that  enters 
very  largely  into  the  industries  of  the  country.  In  com- 
mon parlance  it  is  known  by  the  ordinary  two  hundred 
yard  spool  which  every  good  housewife  considers  an  in- 
dispensable part  of  the  family  work  basket.  Of  late 
years,  however,  the  introduction  of  the  sewing  machine 
has  created  a  demand  for  the  thread  in  longer  lengths  on 
a  single  spool,  so  that  the  production  of  spool  cotton  put 
up  in  this  form  has  come  to  be  very  extensive,  and  enters 
materially  into  the  stock  of  the  retail  dealers  in  the 
country.  But  the  largest  share  of  cotton  made  in  the 
thread  factories  is  for  manufacturing  purposes,  and  is 
used  extensively  in  the  production  of  goods  for  domestic 
use.  It  enters  into  the  composition  of  every  article  of 
wearing  apparel,  and  the  trade  to  the  hosiery  and  under- 
wear manufacturers,  in  particular,  is  enormous. 

This  industry  gained  an  early  foot-hold  in  Rhode  Island, 
and  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  Providence,  and  the  works 
of  theBarstow  Thread  Company,  situated  on  Sabin  Street, 
may  justly  be  classed  among  the  important  manufactories 
of  the  city.  This  company  has  been  doing  a  prosperous 
and  growing  business  in  the  making  of  thread,  both  for 
domestic  and  manufacturing  purposes,  which  has  ma- 
terially increased  within  the  last  five  years.  The  origi- 
nal plant,  formerly  located  in  Pawtucket,  was  called  the 
Pawtucket  Thread  Company,  and  this  name  was  retained 
until  a  few  years  ago.  In  1870,  the  manufactory  was  re- 
moved to  Providence,  and  became  incorporated  in  1888, 
under  the  title  of  the  Barstow  Thread  Company,  taking 
the  name  from  Mr.  George  E.  Barstow,  its  present  treas- 
urer. The  building  which  is  occupied  by  the  company 
is  a  large  five  story  block,  i6ox  60  feet,  and  here  is  man- 
ufactured the  Barstow  six-cord  thread  for  domestic  pur- 
poses, and  spool  cotton  in  lengths  varying  from  100  to 
23,000  yards,  for  manufacturing.  The  demand  from  the 
latter  source  in  long  lengths  has  made  this  the  largest 
part  of  the  industry,  and  the  thread  of  this  company  will 
compare  favorably  with  any  of  the  more  extensively 
known  and  older  manufacturers  in  this  branch.  Follow- 
ing the  example  of  the  English  and  Scotch  makers,  this 
company  has  purchased  all  the  yarns  for  the  manufacture 
of  its  thread,  and  does  not,  therefore,  require  so  large 
a  force  of  people  as  is  employed  by  the  manufacturers  of 
thread  in  this  country  who  have  been  accustomed  to  spin 
the'  yarn  on  their  premises.  The  greater  part  of  the  pro- 
duction of  this  company  at  the  present  time  is  three-cord 
thread  —  sold  very  extensively  in  the  New  York  market, 
through  the  commission  house  of  Alexander  King  & 
Company.  This  thread  for  domestic  purposes,  put  up 
on  small  spools,  has  been  known  for  many  years  in  the 
market  as  King's  Cotton.  It  has  always  had  a  large  sale, 
and  has  not  materially  diminished.  The  introduction  of 
the  sewing  machine,  and  the  use  of  six-cord  soft  finish 
cotton-,  have  in  some  cases  affected  the  manufacture  and 
sale  of  the  three-cord,  but  not  so  with  the  thread  made 
by  this  company.  Both  grades,  the  six-cord  Barstow, 
and  the  three-cord  King's,  are  made  at  the  factory,  and 
the  demand  for  the  latter  has  never  been  greater  than  at 
the  present  time.  About  one  hundred  and  fifty  opera- 
tives are  given  employment  at  the  works  of  the  company. 

Mr.    Barstow,  the   treasurer,  became   connected   with 


GEORGE  E.  BARSTOW, 

TREASURER  OF  THE  BARSTOW  THREAD  COMPANY. 

the  establishment  in  1881,  and  since  that  time  has  been 
thoroughly  identified  with  the  industry,  increasing  the 
capacity  of  the  works  and  placing  the  productions  of  the 
company  on  a  basis  that  has  firmly  established  their  repu- 
tation among  the  manufacturers.  His  experience,  previ- 
ous to  his  connection  with  the  thread  company,  in  the 
care  of  the  private  investments  and  large  interests  of  his 
father,  has  proved  invaluable  in  this  connection.  Mr. 
Barstow  is  the  son  of  Honorable  Amos  C.  and  Emeline 
M.  Barstow,  and  was  born  in  Providence  in  1849.  After 
graduating  from  the  public  schools  of  that  city,  he  entered 
Mowry  &  GofPs  English  and  Classical  High  School,  con- 
tinuing there  until  a  serious  illness  prevented  the  comple- 
tion of  the  full  course  of  instruction.  He  then  entered 
the  private  office  of  his  father,  giving  his  attention  to  the 
care  of  the  real  estate  and  other  investments  with  which 
the  elder  Mr.  Barstow  was  largely  identified.  He  became 
interested  in  the  prosperity  and  business  advancement  of 
his  native  city,  and  was  instrumental  in  establishing  the 
Providence  Warehouse  Company,  acting  as  its  manager 
and  treasurer  for  six  years.  This  corporation  does 
a  very  large  business  in  storage,  giving  warehouse 
receipts  for  merchandise,  and  is  of  great  advantage  to  the 
merchants.  Mr.  Barstow  retired  from  its  management 
when  he  became  connected  with  the  thread  business, 
though  he  still  retains  an  interest  in  the  corporation.  He 
has  also  for  three  years  been  treasurer  of  the  Nashua 
Lock  Company,  of  Nashua,  N.  H.,  the  oldest  establish- 
ment of  its  kind  in  this  country,  and  is  now  treasurer  of 
the  Slater  Mill  and  Power  Company.  Mr.  Barstow  has 
been  prominently  identified  with  the  work  of  education 


138 


THE  COTTON  CENTENNIAL. 


in  the  public  schools  of  Providence  for  twelve  years,  has 
been  a  member  of  the  School  Board,  and  at  the  present 
time,  1890,  is  its  president.  He  was  chosen  a  member 
of  the  city  council  for  1890,  and  was  re-elected  for  the 
year  1891 .  His  office,  that  of  the  Barstow  Thread  Com- 
pany, and  the  Slater  Mill  and  Power  Company,  is  at  37 
Weybosset  Street.  The  present  officers  are  Alexander 
King,  of  New  York,  president,  and  George  E.  Barstow, 
treasurer. 


as  clerk  and  later  purchasing  the  business.  This  he  car- 
ried on  until  1853,  a  part  of  the  time  having  a  partner, 
when  he  became  clerk  in  the  store  of  a  manufacturing 
company  for  a  short  time.  In  this  same  year,  1853,  in 
company  with  Job  S.  Steere,  he  hired  a  woolen  mill  in 
Mapleville  of  Daniel  S.  Whipple,  and  with  a  single  set 
of  machinery  began  the  manufacture  of  tweeds  and  jeans. 
In  the  fall  another  set  was  added,  and  the  firm  made 
satinets  till  1856.  Mr.  Tinkham  resolved  to  devote  him- 


WILLIAM  TINKHAM  &  COMPANY'S  HARR1SV1LLE  MILL. 


Mr.  William  Tinkham,  who  is  at  the  present  time  a 
resident  of  Providence,  and  president  of  the  Providence 
&  Springfield  Railroad  Company,  is  a  citizen  who  has 
attained  his  present  position  of  honor  and  responsibility 
by  the  utmost  diligence,  and  whose  manufacturing  indus- 
try in  the  village  of  Harrisville  is  a  source  of  great  pros- 
perity to  that  place.  The  business  which  is  now  con- 
ducted there  under  the  style  of  William  Tinkham  & 
Company  has  been  very  successful,  and  this  is  due  largely 
to  the  administrative  ability  of  the  head  of  the  firm, 
whose  life  work  has  been  an  example  of  what  untiring 
energy  and  perseverance  can  accomplish  from  the 
humblest  beginnings. 

Mr.  Tinkham  was  born  in  Harmony  Village,  Glo- 
cester,  R.  I.,  July  8,  1823.  He  is  a  lineal  descendant 
of  Hezekiah  Tinkham,  who  came  from  England  during 
the  Revolutionary  War,  and  settled  in  the  south-eastern 
part  of  Glocester,  as  a  blacksmith,  and  who  died  in  1812 
at  the  age  of  100  years.  This  trade  was  followed  by 
his  descendants,  and  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  the  son  of 
Nehemiah  and  Alzada  (Andrews)  Tinkham,  remained 
at  home  during  his  minority,  working  in  the  shop  of  his 
father  and  learning  the  blacksmith's  trade.  His  educa- 
tion was  obtained  in  the  district  school  and  in  Smith- 
ville  Seminary,  now  the  Lapham  Institute,  in  North  Scit- 
uate,  R.  I.  In  1844,  being  in  poor  health,  he  relin- 
quished the  forge,  and  entered  a  store  in  Greenville,  first 


self  to  manufacturing,  and  realized  that  a  practical  knowl- 
edge of  the  industry,  in  all  its  departments,  in  which  he 
was  deficient,  was  necessary  to  complete  success,  and 
he  set  about  obtaining  that  knowledge.  He  began  in 
the  lowest  room  as  an  operative,  taking  the  place  of  his 
assistant  in  scouring  wool.  He  then  learned  the  process 
of  dyeing,  dismissed  the  boss  and  engaged  an  assistant, 
and  thus  he  went  from  room  to  room,  working  over 
time,  until  in  three  years  he  was  complete  master  of  the 
business  in  all  its  details. 

In  1856  the  firm  of  Steere  &  Tinkham  purchased  the 
Harrisville  Mill  from  Jason  Emerson  .for  $30,000, 
paying  $4,000  down  and  giving  a  mortgage  for  the  bal- 
ance. The  machinery  was  removed  thither  from  Maple- 
ville, two  more  sets  were  purchased,  and  the  firm  then 
began  for  the  first  time  the  manufacture  of  satinets  on  its 
own  premises.  The  following  year  an  addition  of  100 
feet  in  length  was  made  for  dyeing  and  other  purposes, 
entailing  a  further  expense  of  $20,000.  The  financial 
crisis  of  1857  followed,  and  the  firm  found  the  outlook 
discouraging.  Heavily  in  debt  from  the  late  improve- 
ments, and  there  being  little  hope  of  business,  it  was 
not,  surely,  a  bright  prospect.  But  here  the  courage  of 
Mr.  Tinkham  asserted  itself.  He  went  out  and  made 
business,  manufacturing  on  shares  a  part  of  the  time, 
and  buying  and  selling  in  person.  He  ajso  adopted  the 
cash  system,  which  he  followed  ever  afterwards.  The 


PROVIDENCE  AND  THE  R.  I.  COTTON  DISTRICT. 


139 


firm  carried  on  a  profitable  business  when  other  mills 
were  idle,  and  in  1860  the  balance  of  the  money  due  on 
the  first  purchase  was  paid.  Four  more  sets  of  machin- 
ery were  then  added,  and  the  manufacture  of  cassimeres 
was  begun,  and  in  January,  1865,  the  firm  paid  every 
cent  of  its  indebtedness  and  had  a  surplus  on  hand. 

In  1868,  Mr.  Tinkham  became  a  resident  of  Provi- 
dence, and  in  company  with  his  brother  Ellison  and 
Franklin  Metcalf,  operated  the  Carolina  Mills  in  the 
town  of  Richmond.  This  continued  until  1876,  when 
Mr.  Tinkham  sold  his  interest  to  the  remaining  partners. 
The  firm  of  Steere  &  Tinkham  continued  until  1873, 
when  Mr.  Tinkham  purchased  Mr.  Steere's  interest,  and 
formed  a  partnership  with  Mr.  F.  S.  Farwell,  an  expe- 
rienced manufacturer,  who  had  for  many  years  been 
superintendent  of  the  Granite  Mills  in  Pascoag.  The 
style  of  the  firm  became  Tinkham  &  Farwell.  In  1878, 
Mr.  Tinkham's  son,  Ernest  W.,  was  admitted  to  the 
firm,  and  the  property  had  then  become  very  valuable — 
the  mills  having  a  capacity  for  weaving  and  finishing 
equal  to  eighteen  sets.  In  1881  the  machinery  was 
changed,  and  the  firm  entered  upon  the  manufacture  of 
fancy  worsteds,  and  the  brands  of  "  Newmarket "  and 
"Empire"  have  achieved  a  high  reputation.  In  1884 
Mr.  Farwell  retired  from  the  firm,  which  has  since  been 
known  as  William  Tinkham  &  Company.  The  mill, 
at  present,  is  of  stone,  40  x  165  feet,  with  two  wings 
— that  on  one  side  measuring  60  x  106,  and  on  the  other 
22  x  105, — the  entire  area  covered  by  the  buildings 
being  about  one-third  of  an  acre.  The  mill  is  fitted 
with  the  most  modern  machinery  and  appliances,  and 
gives  employment  to  nearly  four  hundred  persons. 

Mr.  Tinkham  was  elected  a  representative  to  the  Rhode 
Island  Assembly  in  1866,  but  is  known  outside  of  his 
manufacturing  business  chiefly  for  his  interest  in  the 
Providence  and  Springfield  Railroad  of  which  he  was 
one  of  the  first  projectors,  and  of  which  he  has  been 
president  since  its  organization.  The  preliminary  sur- 
veys for  the  road  were  made  in  1871  and  it  was  built  and 
opened  for  travel  in  1873,  trains  beginning  to  run  August 
n.  The  main  line  is  little  less  than  twenty-three  miles 
long,  branching  from  the  New  York  and  New  England 
Railroad  at  Olneyville,  and  extending  to  the  village  of 
Pascoag.  The  original  intent  of  the  projectors  of  the 
enterprise  was  to  extend  this  road  to  Springfield,  Mass., 
thus  giving  the  people  of  Providence  a  direct  line  to  the 
west,  and  in  1881  the  General  Assembly  incorporated  the 
Providence,  Webster  &  Springfield  Railroad  Company. 
The  time  for  the  extension  of  the  road  has  expired  by 
limitation,  several  unfavorable  circumstances  conspiring 
to  prevent  its  construction.  Recently  the  road  has  been 
leased  to  the  New  York  &  New  England  Railroad  Com- 
pany, for  ninety-nine  years. 

***** 

The  American  Multiple  Fabric  Company,  on  Hart- 
ford Street,  in  Olneyville,  controls  an  industry  peculiar 
to  itself,  and  carries  on  the  manufacture  of  textile 
hose,  for  hydraulic  and  fire  uses,  by  a  process  of  weaving 
of  which  the  company  has  exclusive  control.  The  com- 
pany was  formerly  known  as  the  S.  W.  Baker  Manufac- 


WILLIAM  TINKHAM, 

MANUFACTURER,    AND    PRESIDENT   OF    PROVIDENCE    AND    SPRINOFIELD    RAILROAD. 

turing  Company,  Mr.  Baker  being  the  inventor  of  the 
process  by  which  the  goods  are  made  ;  but  in  1884  the 
present  name  was  assumed.  The  fabric  of  which  the 
hose  is  made  .possesses  great  strength  and  durability, 
while  at  the  same  time  it  is  exceedingly  pliable  and  can 
be  woven  in  any  thickness  desired.  A  continuous  rubber 
lining  is  inserted  in  the  hose  by  the  Gutta  Percha  and 
Rubber  Manufacturing  Company  of  New  York,  which 
controls  the  market  on  this  hose,  rendering  it  impervious 
to  water,  and  the  goods  have  an  excellent  reputation. 
Patent  evaporating  horse  blankets,  another  invention  of 
Mr.  Baker,  are  manufactured  by  this  company,  as  well 
as  endless  aprons  for  worsted  yarn  manufacturers  and 
sundry  supplies  for  paper  makers  and  calico  printers. 
Charles  Fletcher  is  president  of  the  corporation,  and 
William  A.  Wilkinson  its  superintendent  and  agent. 

***** 

The  extensive  works  of  William  A.  Harris,  builder  of 
the  Harris-Corliss  Engine,  covering  148,120  square  feet 
of  land  on  the  corner  of  Park  and  Promenade  streets, 
were  first  started  in  their  present  location  November  17, 
1868.  William  Andrew  Harris,  the  founder  of  the  busi- 
ness, was  born  in  Woodstock,  Conn.,  March  2,  1835, 
and  is  the  eighth  generation  from  William  Harris  who 
came  to  this  country  in  the  ship  "Lion"  with  Roger 
Williams.  In  1855,  after  being  employed  three  years  in 
the  Union  Bank  of  Providence,  he  was  engaged  as 
draughtsman  by  the  Providence  Forge  and  Nut  Com- 
pany, and  after  the  consolidation  of  this  company  with 


140 


THE  COTTON  CENTENNIAL 


WILLIAM   A.  HARRIS, 

BUILDER   OF    THE    HARRIS-CORLISS   STEAM    ENGINE. 

the  Rhode  Island  Tool  Company,  the  following  year,  he 
entered  the'employ,  in  the  same  capacity,  of  the  Corliss 
Steam  Engine  Company.  He  remained  here  until  Aug- 
ust i,  1864,  when  he  began  business  on  his  own  account 
on  Eddy  Street,  in  the  building  used  as  headquarters  in 
the  Dorr  times.  The  business  rapidly  increased,  and  he 
removed  to  his  present  location  in  1868,  as  stated.  The 
group  of  buildings  was  erected  specially  for  the  business 
which  is  carried  on  therein  ;  and  the  machinery  and  tools 
were  also  specially  constructed.  Here  are  built  stationary 
engines,  ranging  from  ten  to  two  thousand  horse-power, 
and  the  Harris  -  Corliss 
engines  are  used  in  many 
of  the  largest  manufac- 
tories of  this  country.  The 
works  are  capable  of  turn- 
ing out  a  half  million  dol- 
lars worth  of  merchan- 
dise annually,  and  the 
industry  has  contributed 
very  largely  to  the  pros- 
perity of  Providence.  A 
large  proportion  of  the 
mechanics  employed  in 
this  factory  have  learned 
the  trade  in  the  shops  of 
the  establishment.  Under 
the  apprenticeship  system 
which  obtains  here  these 
shops  are  a  manual  and  in- 
dustrial school  of  the  most 
approved  kind.  This  ap- 


prenticeship covers  a  period  of  three  years,  the  first  six 
months  of  which  are  probationary,  at  the  end  of  which 
time  the  learner  is  master  of  one  of  the  best  trades  in  the 
world.  The  system  has  proved  very  satisfactory,  not 
only  for  Mr.  Harris,  but  for  the  young  men  who  have 
thus  entered  his  employ. 

***** 

The  manufacture  of  rubber  boots  and  shoes,  in  all  the 
different  styles  and  varieties,  is  a  very  important  industry 
in  this  country,  and  the  works  of  the  Woonsocket  Rubber 
Company,  in  Woonsocket  and  Millville,  the  latter  place 
but  a  few  miles  distant  from  Woonsocket,  have  materially 
contributed  to  the  growth  of  both  places.  The  plant 
was  a  small  one  at  the  outset ;  it  has  been  devoted 
entirely  to  the  manufacture  of  boots  and  shoes  since  it 
has  been  managed  by  an  incorporated  company,  and 
the  output  of  the  two  factories,  at  the  present  time, 
is  known  throughout  the  world. 

A  copartnership  was  formed  November  25,  1864,  for 
the  manufacture  of  rubber  goods,  by  Lyman  A.  and 
Simeon  S.  Cook  and  Joseph  Banigan,  and  the  industry 
was  started  in  an  old  planing  mill  in  Woonsocket.  At  first 
the  business  was  confined  to  the  manufacture  of  wring- 
ing-machine  rolls  and  small  wares.  An  incorporated 
company  was  formed  in  1867,  with  a  capital  of  $roo,ooo, 
and  rubber  boots  and  shoes  were  first  made  in  October, 
1868,  since  which  time  this  has  been  the  sole  product  of 
the  mills.  Lyman  A.  Cook  was  the  first  president  of  the 
company  ;  but  Mr.  Banigan  was  the  practical  rubber 
worker.  All  the  machinery  from  the  start  was  set  under 
his  direction  ;  and  in  the  early  days  he  superintended 
the  works  and  sold  all  the  goods.  He  soon  became 
president  of  the  company,  and  it  is  his  enterprise  and 
careful  management  that  has  built  up  the  business,  and 
increased  the  product  to  the  enormous  amount  which  it 
has  attained  at  the  present  time.  The  works  at  Woon- 
socket were  enlarged  from  time  to  time,  till  the  necessi- 
ties of  the  manufacture  demanded  the  erection  of  a  large 
plant  at  Millville,  the  land  on'which  the  factory  stands 


THE  ALICE  MILL-WOONSOCKET  RUBBER  COMPANY. 


PROVIDENCE   AND  THE  R.   I.   COTTON   DISTRICT. 


141 


being  at  that  time  owned  by  Mr.  Banigan.  Previous  to 
the  erection  of  the  new  mill,  both  boots  and  shoes  were 
made  at  Woonsocket.  The  factory  at  Millville  was  built 
in  1882,  and  from  that  time  the  manufacture  of  boots  has 
been  confined  to  this  mill,  while  that  of  shoes  has 
been  carried  on  at  Woonsocket.  In  the  growth  of  the 
business,  the  capital  of  the  company  has  been  increased 
at  various  times,  until  it  is  now  $1,200,000,  and  per- 
mission has  been  granted  by  the  General  Assembly  for 
an  increase  to  $2,000,000.  In  April,  1889,  the  erection 
of  a  new  mill  at  Woonsocket  was  begun,  which  is  now 
completed,  and 
where  all  the  shoes 
are  manufactured. 
It  is  larger  than  the 
factory  at  Millville, 
and  is  called  the 
Alice  Mill,  after 
Mr.  Banigan's 
mother.  The  out- 
put in  dollars  and 
cents  is  about  the 
same  in  each  mill, 
and  within  the  past 
two  decades  there 
has  been  a  growth 
in  the  production, 
by  the  company, 
from  less  than 
$300,000  to  $6,- 
000,000. 

The  plan  of  the 
two  mills  is  simi- 
lar ;  each  contains 
a  main  building, 
four  stories  high, 
with  two  wings, 
a  boiler  wing,  a 
store  house,  box 
factory  and  offices 
with  a  cement  and 
varnish  house  in 
the  rear.  At  Mill- 
ville the  main  build- 
ing is  348  x  64 ; 
with  two  wings 
113  x  60,  a  boiler 
wing  133x50,  and 
a  store  house 
133  x  60.  In  the 

Alice  Mill,  the  main  building  is  420  x  67  ;  with  two 
wings  138  x  59,  and  a  boiler  wing  136  x  50.  On  one 
side  there  is  a  store  house  203  x  60,  and  on  the  other  a 
packing-box  factory  154  x  40.  The  Alice  Mill  is  larger 
in  every  respect  than  that  at  Millville,  and  was  designed 
by  P.  J.  Conley,  the  manager  of  the  Millville  branch  of 
the  industry.  Every  arrangement  possible  for  fire  pro- 
tection exists  in  both  mills.  There  are  stand  pipes 
extending  above  the  roof,  there  are  lines  of  hose  and 
automatic  sprinklers  on  every  floor,  there  is  a  special  fire 
company  composed  of  the  employes  in  each  mill,  and  a 


JOSEPH  BANIGAN, 

PRESIDENT  OF   THE   WOONSOCKET   RUBBER   COMPANY 


dozen  or  more  hydrants  are  placed  around  the  grounds. 
Two  grades  of  boots  are  made  at  Millville  ;  two  grades 
of  shoes  at  Woonsocket.  The  first  grade  is  called  Woon- 
socket, the  second  Rhode  Island.  The  capacity  of  the 
Millville  factory  is  8,000  pairs  boots  per  day ;  that 
of  the  Alice  Mill,  30,000  pairs  shoes  per  day.  Fifteen 
hundred  operatives  find  employment  at  Millville  ;  2,000 
at  Woonsocket.  Lyman  A.  Cook  was  the  first  president, 
shortly  succeeded  by  Joseph  Banigan,  who  holds  thai 
office  at  the  present  time.  The  first  treasurer  was  John 
Boyden  ;  the  second  F.  M.  Perkins.  On  the  death  of 

Mr.  Perkins,  a  few 
years  since,  Fred- 
erick Cook  was 
chosen,  who  is  the 
present  treasurer. 
Henry  L.  Ballou 
was  secretary  from 
the  beginning  until 
1888,  when  he 
died,  and  was  suc- 
ceeded by  W.  S. 
Ballou,  the  present 
secretary.  Mr. 
Ballou  has  been 
connected  with  the 
company  twenty- 
two  years,  and  he 
has  been  general 
selling  agent  for 
the  past  four  years, 
which  position  he 
holds  to-day  in  ad- 
dition to  the  office 
of  secretary.  Since 
1887  the  company 
has  had  an  office  in 
Providence,  which 
is  now  the  head- 
quarters of  the 
company.  Whole- 
sale stores  are  con- 
ducted under  the 
management  of 
Mr.  Ballou,  in 
Boston,  New 
York,  Baltimore 
and  Chicago. 


The  extensive  plant  of  the  Providence  Worsted  Mills 
and  the  National  Worsted  Mills,  on  Valley  Street,  in 
Olneyville,  has  developed  from  the  small  nucleus  of  a 
single  building  to  an  establishment  of  nearly  a  dozen 
buildings,  covering  rnore  than  twelve  acres  of  ground. 
Both  have  their  origin  from  the  enterprise  of  one  man, 
and  one  is  the  natural  outgrowth  of  the  other,  though  they 
are  two  companies,  incorporated  at  different  times  and 
separate  from  each  other.  In  1875,  Charles  Fletcher 
began  the  manufacture  of  worsted  goods  in  an  old  stone 
mill,  and  from  this  has  grown  the  industry  which  pro- 


142 


THE  COTTON  CENTENNIAL. 


EX-GOV.  HERBERT  W.  LADD, 

OF   THE    H.    W.    LADD   COMPANY. 

duces  such  a  large  a.nount  of  goods  and  gives  employ- 
ment to  so  many  operatives.  Mr.  Fletcher,  from  an 
early  age,  had  been  employed  in  the  worsted  yarn  busi- 
ness in  England,  obtaining  a  thoroughly  scientific  and 
practical  knowledge  of  the  manufacture  of  yarns,  and  the 
demand  for  his  goods  was  instantaneous.  He  found  it 
necessary  to  increase  his  facilities  within  a  year,  and  from 
that  time  enlargement  has  followed  enlargement,  until 
the  combined  plant  consists  of  six  large  mills  besides  two 
store  houses,  a  dye  house,  machine  shop  and  several 
smaller  buildings,  including  a  handsomely  fitted  office. 
The  products  of  the  Providence  Worsted  Mills  are 
worsted,  mohair  and  genappe  yarns  finished  to  take  the 
place  of  silk,  and  made  in  white,  mixed  and  fancy  colors. 
These  are  put  up  on  bobbins,  dresser  spools,  or  skeins  for 
the  use  of  the  trade,  and  are  used  in  large  quantities  by 
the  National  Worsted  Mills,  which  manufacture  fine 
worsted  suitings  and  overcoatings,  equal  to  the  best 
imported  goods.  The  six  large  mills  are  numbered  for 
convenience  of  management,  the  machinery  is  the  best 
that  can  be  obtained  in  this  country  or  England,  and 
each  mill  is  independent  of  the  other,  as  far  as  power  is 
concerned.  The  entire  process  of  manufacturing  finished 
fabrics  from  the  raw  wool  is  carried  on  in  these  factories, 
making  it  complete  in  every  part ;  and  when  it  is  con- 
sidered that  all  tliis  growth  has  been  accomplished  within 
fifteen  years,  it  is  in  striking  contrast  to  the  ordinary 
development  of  the  great  industrial  establishments  of  the 
country.  Electric  lights  are  used  ;  steam-power  is  fur- 


CHARLES  FLETCHER, 

PRESIDENT   AND   TREASURER   OF    THE    PROVIDENCE    AND  NATIONAL    WORSTED    MILLS. 

nished  by  eight  large  Corliss  engines,  aggregating  2,600 
horse-power,  and  over  two  thousand  operatives  are  given 
employment.  Charles  Fletcher  is  president  and  treasurer 
of  both  the  Providence  and  National  Worsted  Mills.  The 
former  was  incorporated  in  1883 — the  latter  in  1886. 
***** 

Herbert  Warren  Ladd,  who  was  governor  of  Rhode 
Island  in  1889-90,  has  been  well-known  to  the  business 
community  of  Providence  for  a  number  of  years  as  a  suc- 
cessful dry-goods  merchant.  He  is  a  native  of  New  Bed- 
ford where  he  received  his  education.  Having  learned 
the  dry-goods  business  in  his  native  city  and  in  the 
importing  house  of  White,  Brown  &  Company  in  Boston, 
he  established  a  store  in  Providence  in  1871,  and  quickly 
made  it  a  success.  He  very  soon  after  coming  to  Prov- 
idence distinguished  himself  by  his  public  spirit,  evincing 
an  interest  in  numerous  lines  of  effort,  having  for  their 
object  the  development  of  the  city  in  various  ways. 
Governor  Ladd's  administration  of  his  office  was  charac- 
terized by  the  same  qualities  as  had  been  manifested  in  his 
business  career,  although  the  position  has  so  little  real 
power  that  he  was  unable  to  accomplish  much.  Yet  his 
recommendations  were  excellent,  and  probably  will  bear 
fruit  in  the  future.  He  was  appointed  by  the  legislature 
one  of  the  commissioners  to  consider  plans  and  recom- 
mend a  site  for  a  new  State  House,  the  erection  of  which 
he  had  urged  in  his  inaugural  message.  He  has  also 
presented  to  Brown  University  an  astronomical  observa- 
tory, beautifully  located  on  the  east  side  of  the  city. 


PROVIDENCE   AND  THE   R.  I.   COTTON    DISTRICT. 


143 


The  plant  of  the  National  India  Rubber  Company,  at 
Bristol,  was  started  some  twenty-seven  years  ago,  by  the 
National  Rubber  Company,  to  the  business  of  which  the 
present  corporation  is  the  successor.  The  original  plant 
was  small ;  but  enlargement  followed  enlargement  and  a 
business  of  large  magnitude  was  done  by  the  original 
company,  as  many  as  1,500  operatives  being  employed 
at  one  time,  and  the  annual  product  reaching  $3,000,000. 
The  National  India  Rubber  Company,  incorporated  un- 
der the  laws  of  Rhode  Island,  was  organized  April  17, 
1888,  and  succeeded  to  the  plant  and  business  of  the  Na- 
tional Rubber  Company.  This  latter  company  succeeded 
the  old  Providence  Rubber  Company,  and  may  with  truth 
be  said  to  have  been  the  pioneer  in  the  art  of  rubber 
manufacture.  More  improvements  in  the  rubber  art 
were  made  by  this  company  than  any  other,  for  some  of 
which,  as  the  "  fusion-lined"  boot  and  shoe,  the  "  Snow 
Excluder,"  "Monitor"  and  "Protected  Heel"  over- 
shoes, patents  were  taken  out. 

The  new  company  continued  in  the  same  line  of  manu- 
facture, enlarging  the  departments  and  improving  the 
quality  of  the  product.  It  was  the  aim  of  the  new  man- 
agement to  produce,  throughout  the  entire  plant,  the  best 
goods  that  could  be  manufactured  from  pure  Para  rubber, 
and  this  standard  has  been  strictly  maintained.  The 
making  of  boots  and  shoes,  by  the  National  India  Rubber 
Co.,  in  all  the  varied  styles  needed  for  the  market,  is  a 
a  very  important  branch  of  the  industry.  These  are 
made  in  three  grades  —  the  first  quality,  called  the  "  Na- 


tional," being  stamped  with  the  brand  and  the  name  of 
the  company,  and  maintained  at  the  highest  standard  that 
it  is  possible  to  attain.  The  other  two  qualities,"  Em- 
pire "  and  "  Imperial,"  are  also  made  with  care,  and  are 
considered  equal  to  any  "  grade  "  goods  manufactured  in 
this  country.  The  growth  and  popularity  of  the  game 
of  tennis  have  created  a  demand  for  what  is  known  as  a 
"  tennis  "  shoe,  made  with  a  rubber  sole  and  canvas  top 
— a  demand  which  was  instantly  met  by  the  National 
India  Rubber  Company.  A  handsome,  stvlish  shoe  was 
manufactured,  in  which  nothing  but  the  standard  United 
States  army  duck  was  used,  with  the  result  that  a  very 
large  quantity  was  sold  during  the  year  1890.  The  de- 
mand for  the  tennis  shoe  made  by  this  company  was 
increased  by  this  same  determination  on  the  part  of  the 
management  to  produce  a  superior  article,  and  the  shoe 
readily  obtained  the  lead  in  the  market. 

While  the  manufacture  of  boots  and  shoes  is  the  entire 
industry  with  many  companies,  and  is  with  this  company 
an  important  part  of  the  business,  the  National  India 
Rubber  Company  covers  the  entire  field  in  the  variety  of 
its  rubber  product.  Rubber  clothing  was  made  by  the 
old  company,  but  this  branch  was  largely  increased  by  the 
present  management,  and  is  confined  to  the  manufacture 
of  men's  clothing  —  the  Mackintosh  coats  made  being 
admirable  in  quality  and  elegant  in  patterns,  and  in  every 
respect  the  equal  of  anything  to  be  found  in  the  market. 
There  are  also  made  full  lines  of  rubber  belting,  packing 
and  hose — the  latter  from  the  three-quarter  inch  hose 


THE     NATIONAL   INDIA   RUBBER   COMPANY'S    WORKS,    BRISTOL,   R.   I. 


144 


THE   COTTON  CENTENNIAL 


for  gardens,  to  the  larger  hose,  for  fire  purposes,  brewer- 
ies and  manufacturing  uses.  The  infinite  variety  of 
goods  known  to  the  trade  as  druggists'  sundries,  sold  by 
the  retail  stores  and  used  for  hospital  purposes,  is  manu- 
factured by  the  company,  also  rubber  door  mats,  foot 
balls  and  miscellaneous  goods  generally,  and  only  the 
best  grade  of  goods  is  produced  at  the  works.  There  has 
also  been  recently  added  the  manufacture  of  insulated 
wire  for  electrical  purposes. 

The  plant  at  Bristol,  which  consists  of  twenty-seven 
buildings,  covers  an  area  of  eighteen  acres,  and  is  the 
largest  and  best  equipped  plant  in  the  country  for  the 
manufacture  of  rubber  goods.  Twenty-four  thousand 
pairs  of  boots  and  shoes  alone  have  been  turned  out  at 
the  works  each  working 
day,  in  addition  to  the  large 
product  in  other  goods. 
There  are  two  pumping  sta- 
tions connected  with  the 
works  —  one  utilizing  the 
spring  water  for  washing 
the  rubber,  the  other  pump- 
ing the  salt  water  which  is 
used  in  the  condensers. 
The  Bristol  town  water  ser- 
vice is  used  in  the  boilers,  of 
which  there  are  seventeen 
at  the  works.  There  are 
three  large  engines,  the 
largest  being  a  Harris-Cor- 
liss condensing  engine  of 
i  ,000  horse  -  power,  the 
others  of  200  horse-power 
each.  The  directors  of  the 
company  are  Frederick  M. 
Shepard  and  Charles  Loe- 
wenthal,  New  York,  John 
McAuslan  and  Joshua  Wil- 
bour,  Providence,  and 
Samuel  P.  Colt,  Bris- 
tol. The  officers  of  the 
company  are  Samuel  P. 
Colt,  president  and  treas- 
urer ;  John  C.  Balderston, 
vice-president ;  Charles  A. 
Emerson,  secretary.  Isaac 
F.  Williams  is  superin- 
tendent of  the  works  at  Bristol.  The  company  is  capi- 
talized at  $500,000,  and  has  a  surplus  of  $483,068,  in 

addition  to  its  capital. 

***** 

The  plant  of  the  Nicholson  File  Company,  without  doubt 
the  most  extensive  of  its  kind  in  this  country,  is  the  result 
of  the  patient,  persistent  and  thoughtful  efforts  of  Mr. 
William  T.  Nicholson  to  accomplish  by  the  use  of 
machinery  what  previously  had  been  done  by  hand  pro- 
cess in  England.  It  had  been  supposed  by  the  foreign 
makers  that  no  machinery  could  be  invented  in  this 
country  that  would  supplant  their  work  in  the  manufac- 
ture of  files.  But  Mr.  Nicholson,  since  he  began  the 
process  of  making  these  articles,  has  secured  no  less  than 


WM.  T.  NICHOLSON, 


PRESIDENT   OF  THE    NICHOLSON    FILE    COMPANY. 


twenty-eight  patents,  and  from  the  works  of  the  Nichol- 
son File  Company  are  now  produced  over  fifteen  hundred 
dozen  files  and  rasps  of  different  kinds  per  day,  and  the 
importation  of  these  goods,  owing  to  the  low  price  at 
which  they  can  be  sold  in  this  country,  has  very  sensibly 
diminished.  The  Nicholson  File  Company  was  incor- 
porated in  1864.  Mr.  Nicholson  was  born  in  Pawtucket, 
and  after  being  employed  in  many  places  where  his 
mechanical  genius  was  instantly  recognized,  he  associated 
with  himself,  in  1858,  Mr.  Isaac  Brownell,  and  under  the 
style  of  Nicholson  &  Brownell  began  the  manufacture  of 
jewelers'  tools  and  light  machinery  in  Providence.  He 
manufactured  many  tools  and  much  machinery  used  by 
the  government  after  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  War.  His 

assistance  was  sought  in 
the  production  of  certain 
parts  of  the  Springfield 
rifle,  and  during  the  war, 
afterhehad  obtained  certain 
patents,  he  devoted  himself 
to  the  development  of  ma- 
chinery for  the  manufacture 
of  what  has  since  been 
known  as  the  increment 
cut  file.  There  was  little 
machinery  available,  and 
it  had  to  be  invented  and 
perfected.  The  production 
of  this  company  is  dis- 
tributed all  over  the  world, 
and  the  plant  has  been 
enlarged  during  the  past 
year  by  the  purchase  of  the 
works  of  the  New  Amer- 
ican File  Company,  in 
Pawtucket,  and  the  files 
used  by  jewelers  and 
watch  -  makers  are  being 
manufactured  more  exten- 
sively than  at  any  previous 

time. 

*  *  * 

The  Corliss  Steam  En- 
gine Company,  of  which 
the  late  George  H.  Corliss 
was  president  and  treasurer, 
is  one  of  the  important  in- 
dustries of  Providence,  its  works  covering  an  area  of  nearly 
five  acres.  The  Corliss  engine  has  a  wide  reputation,  and 
is  known  wherever  steam-power  is  applied  to  machinery. 
Mr.  Corliss  came  to  Providence  in  1845,  and  very  shortly 
turned  his  attention  to  the  improvement  of  the  mechanism 
of  the  steam  engine.  In  order  to  produce  engines  combin- 
ing his  many  inventions  the  extensive  works  now  occu- 
pied by  the  company  were  erected.  It  was  a  Corliss 
engine  that  supplied  the  motive  power  at  the  Philadelphia 
Centennial  Exposition,  and  in  addition  to  the  Rumforcl 
medal,  awarded  by  the  Academy  of  Arts  and  Sciences  in 
Boston,  in  1870,  Mr.  Corliss  received  the  highest  prize  at 
the  Paris  Exhibition,  in  1867,  and  at  the  Vienna  Exposi- 
tion of  1873  he  received  the  grand  diploma  of  honor. 


PROVIDENCE   AND  THE   R.   I.   COTTON   DISTRICT. 


145 


The  plant  of  the  Cutler  Manufacturing  Company,  in 
Warren,  is  the  outgrowth  of  a  cordage  factory  which  was 
established  in  a  small  way  in  1859  by  C.  R.  Cutler  and 
James  Childs.  The  business  was  carried  on  in  a  building, 
30  x  60,  on  the  site  of  the  present  mills.  This  was  raised 
up,  enlarged,  and  built  around  at  various  times,  so  that 
the  original  building  can  scarcely  be  recognized  save  by 
those  who  are  familiar  with  the  changes  that  have  been 
brought  about.  In  1860,  Mr.  George  Hail,'  of  American 
Screw  Company  fame,  became  associated  with  Mr.  Cutler, 
and  the  manufacture  of  cordage  was  extended  to  that  of 
twine,  carpet  warp,  and  finally  hosiery  yarn.  This  latter 
product  was  made  only  in  a  limited  quantity  until  1869, 
when  an  incorporated  company  was  formed,  and  a  new, 
three-story,  brick  building  was  erected,  with  a  capacity 
of  9,000  spindles,  and  the  manufacture  of  yarn  was  car- 
ried on  to  an  increased  extent.  This  mill  was  designated 
as  Mill  No.  2,  the  old  factory,  with  its  enlargements  and 
improvements,  being  called  Mill  No.  i .  Mr.  Hail  died 
in  December,  1873,  the  interest  of  his  heirs  remaining  in 
the  business,  which  increased  so  as  to  demand  still  further 
facilities,  and  in  1880,  another  brick  mill,  So  x  250,  called 
Mill  No.  3,  was  built,  and  was  devoted  exclusively  to  the 
producing  of  hosiery  yarns.  In  1889  Mr.  Cutler  died, 
and  the  interest  of  the  heirs  of  Messrs.  Hail  and  Cutler  has 
continued  to  the  present  in  the  conduct  of  the  industry. 

Mr.  Cutler,  the  originator  of  the  enterprise,  and  for 
whom  the  incorporated  company  was  named,  was  born 
in  Ballston,  Saratoga  County,  New  York,  December  20, 
1822.  In  his  early  years  he  went  to  Chicago,  and  after 
a  course  in  the  High  School  of  the  then  new  western 
city,  became  a  sailor  on  the  lakes ;  but  in  1839  came  to 
Rhode  Island  and  entered  the  merchant  service,  sailing 
from  Bristol,  whence  he  was  shortly  attracted  to  Warren, 


HON.  CHARLES  R.  CUTLER, 

FOUNDER   OF   THE    CUTLER    MANUFACTURING  COMPANY. 


GEORGE  HAIL, 

FORMERLY  OF    THE    CUTLER   MANUFACTURING   COMPANY. 

by  the  whaling  industry.  In  this  he  was  successful  to  a 
remarkable  degree,  and  at  an  early  age  was  master  of  a 
vessel.  He  had  sailed  in  all  the  waters  of  the  globe,  and 
twice  around  the  world.  He  abandoned  a  sea-faring 
life  in  1858,  and  the  following  year  established  the  busi- 
ness of  the  Cutler  Manufacturing  Company.  Mr.  Cutler 
was  held  in  high  esteem  by  his  fellow  citizens,  and 
received  many  honors  at  their  hands.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  town  council  of  Warren  many  years,  chief  of  the 
fire  department  twelve  years,  and  lieutenant-governor  of 
Rhode  Island  for  1872-73.  As  grand  master  of  the 
Grand  Lodge  of  Masons  in  Rhode  Island,  he  had  the 
honor  to  dedicate,  in  behalf  of  the  lodge,  the  monu- 
ment which  was  erected  to  the  memory  of  Roger  Williams. 
Yarns  for  hosiery,  and  twisted  yarn,  are  the  principal 
product  of  the  plant,  which  gives  employment  to  275 
operatives.  Shortly  after  Mill  No.  2  was  erected,  the 
company  began  the  manufacture  of  knitting  cotton, 
which  is  still  made  in  all  numbers  from  six  to  thirty,  in 
white  and  colors.  The  plant  has  a  capacity,  at  the 
present  time,  of  30,000  spindles,  and  uses  5,000  bales  of 
cotton  yearly.  The  power  is  furnished  by  two  steam 
engines,  one  250  and  the  other  175  horse-power.  The 
officers  of  the  company  are  Richard  A.  Lewis,  of  Phila- 
delphia, president ;  Frank  Hail  Brown,  treasurer  and 
agent ;  Luther  Cole,  secretary.  The  company  is  capital- 
ized at  $300,000.  Mr.  Lewis,  the  president,  is  a  son- 
in-law  of  Mr.  Hail,  one  of  the  original  stockholders  in 
the  corporation,  was  born  in  Pawtucket,  and  is  a  des- 
cendant of  the  Anthonys,  who  were  pioneers  in  the  cotton 
industry  in  that  city.  The  wife  of  Mr.  Hail  donated 
funds  for  the  establishment,  in  Warren,  of  a  public  library 
for  the  benefit  of  the  citizens  of  the  town,  and  a  hand- 
some edifice  was  erected  on  the  principal  street,  as  the 
result  of  her  liberality,  and  that  of  others,  called  the  Hail 
Free  Library. 


146 


THE   COTTON   CENTENNIAL. 


HENRY   C.  CRANSTON,  ESQ., 

BANKER. 

Henry  C.  Cranston,  who  conducts  a  successful  banking 
and  brokerage  business  on  Weybosset  Street  in  Prov- 
idence, belongs  to  one  of  the  oldest  families  in  Rhode 
Island,  two  of  his  ancestors  having  been  governors  of  the 
state  in  Colonial  times.  John  Cranston,  whose  father 
was  chaplain  to  King  Charles  the  First  of  England,  was 
a  man  of  great  ability,  the  first  person  in  the  colony  to  hold 
the  title  of  major-general,  and  was  governor  of  the 
colony  from  November,  1678  to  March  12,  1680,  when 
he  died.  His  son,  Samuel  Cranston,  was  governor  for 
twenty-nine  consecutive  years — from  1698  to  1727 — and 
like  his  father,  died  in  office.  Henry  C.  Cranston  was 
born  in  Providence,  August  27,  1832,  where  he  was 
educated  in  the  public  schools,  graduating  fiom  the  high 
school  at  the  age  of  14  years.  He  entered  the  law  office 
of  Charles  F.  Tillinghast  and  Charles  S.  Bradley  for  a  few 
years,  after  which  he  learned  the  art  of  telegraphy.  In 
1848  the  Rhode  Island  Magnetic  Telegraph  Company 
completed  the  construction  of  a  line  from  Providence  to 
Worcester,  to  connect  with  a  line  which  had  been  pre- 
viously built  between  New  York  and  Boston.  John  W. 
Lane  was  the  constructor,  and  the  first  operator,  and  after 
an  office  had  been  established  in  the  Worcester  passenger 
station,  Mr.  Cranston  became  the  first  pupil  of  Mr.  Lane, 
and  upon  the  extension  of  the  line  to  Pawtucket,  Taun- 
ton,  Fall  River  and  New  Bedford,  he  was  sent  to  Fall 
River  to  assume  charge  of  the  local  office,  where  the 
receipts  were  hardly  sufficient  to  pay  the  young  man's 
board.  After  this  experience  he  entered  the  office  of  the 
Providence  Journal 'for  a  year,  and  in  1851,  under  John 


R.  Bartlett  of  Providence,  who  had  been  appointed  com- 
missioner on  the  Mexican  Boundary,  Mr.  Cranston  was 
attached  to  this  commission,  as  assistant  in  the  engineer- 
ing and  surveying  department,  and  clerk  to  the  commis- 
sioner. On  his  return  he  entered  the  office  of  the  Atlantic 
Fire  and  Marine  Insurance  Company,  and  in  1853  he 
entered  the  National  State  Bank,  now  the  Old  National 
Bank,  being  elected  assistant  cashier  May  12,  1854,  and 
July  3,  1854,  he  was  promoted  to  the  responsible  position 
of  cashier  of  the  bank.  At  that  time  Mr.  Cranston  was 
the  youngest  cashier  in  the  State.  He  remained  in  this 
position  until  October  i,  1864,  when  he  engaged  in  the 
private  banking  and  brokerage  business,  first  as  Butts  & 
Cranston,  afterwards  as  Greene  &  Cranston,  and  in  1878, 
on  his  account  and  in  his  own  name,  which  business  has 
continued  to  the  present  time.  In  addition  to  his  banking 
and  brokerage  business,  Mr.  Cranston  is  connected  with 
and  interested  in  many  institutions  and  corporations. 
He  is  president  of  the  American  Ship  Windlass  Com- 
pany, vice-president  of  the  Providence  Telephone  Com- 
pany and  the  City  Savings  Bank,  treasurer  of  the  Prov- 
idence Arcade  Company,  clerk  of  the  Rawson  Fountain 
Society,  incorporated  in  1772,  besides  a  director  in  the 
Equitable  Insurance  Company,  the  Rhode  Island  Safe 
Deposit  Company,  the  Rhode  Island  and  Massachusetts 
R.  R.  Company,  the  Quinebaug  Company,  of  Danielson- 
ville,  Conn.,  the  Armington  &  Sims  Engine  Company, 
the  Old  National  Bank  and  other  institutions. 
*  *  »  *  * 

The  Friends'  School,  an  institution  for  both  sexes,  is 
upon  an  eminence  in  the  city  of  Providence,  182  feet 
above  tide  water.  Most  of  the  State  of  Rhode  Island, 
and  a  large  district  of  Massachusetts,  are  in  view  from 
its  cupola,  while  the  beautiful  shores  of  Narragansett  Bay 
complete  the  picture.  Moses  Brown,  of  Providence, 
founded  it  in  1784.  An  endowment  of  $  100,000  came 
to  the  school  in  1822,  from  Obadiah  Brown,  son  of  Moses, 
which  money  was  produced  at  the  Slater  Mill,  and  was 
the  largest  bequest  to  any  school  in  the  country  at  that 
date.  The  Yearly  Meeting  of  Friends  for  New  England 
has  the  care  of  it.  A  thorough,  practical  education  for 
business  life  and  the  most  approved  preparation  for  col- 
lege are  furnished.  Many  universities  and  colleges 
receive  students  from  it  on  certificates,  without  examina- 
tion. 

The  school  has  a  large  number  of  experienced  teach- 
ers, and  as  far  as  practicable,  they  are  specialists,  limited 
to  their  several  departments.  The  fine  arts  receive  spec- 
ial attention.  Excellent  instruction  is  given  in  music. 
Wood-carving  has  recently  been  added.  It  has  an  astro- 
nomical observatory,  valuable  apparatus  for  chemical 
and  physical  work,  and  a  rich  mineral  cabinet.  The 
library  contains  about  six  thousand  well  selected  volumes. 
A  very  home-like  and  agreeable  appearance  has  recently 
been  given  to  the  rooms  by  the  use  of  large  numbers  of 
beautiful  pictures  and  busts.  It  is  lighted  with  the  Edison 
incandescent  electric  lights. 

The  educational  force  of  an  institution  of  this  character 
is  not  limited  to  school  hours  ;  it  is  constant.  The  great 
benefits  of  co-education  are  everywhere  discernible.  For 
particulars  address  Friends'  School,  Providence,  R.  I. 


'PROVIDENCE  AND  THE   R.    I.   COTTON    DISTRICT. 


147 


FRIENDS'  NEW  ENGLAND  BOARDING  SCHOOL. 


No  financial  concern  in  Providence  has  a  better  reputa- 
tion or  conducts  a  more  extensive  business  in  its  own  line 
than  the  private  banking  house  of  Wilbour,  Jackson  & 
Company.  The  firm  receives  money  on  deposit  subject 
to  check,  discounts  commercial  paper,  and  its  checks 
pass  through  the  clearing  house  on  the  same  footing  as 
those  of  ordinary  banks.  The  bulk  of  its  transactions  are, 
however,  in  general  banking  and  foreign  exchange,  relat- 
ing chiefly  to  the  placing,  investment,  and  transmission  of 
funds.  In  this  connection  especial  attention  is  given  to 
dealing  in  first-class  municipal  and  railroad  bonds,  and 
to  government  and  other  assuredly  safe  securities.  For 
foreign  exchange  the  house  has  unexcelled  facilities,  as  it 
is  sub-agent  for  the  Cheque  Bank,  (Ltd.)  of  London, 
Eng.,  whose  drafts  can  be  cashed  in  any  part  of  the  world. 
Letters  of  credit  are  also  furnished  that  are  as  widely 
negotiable. 

The  rooms  of  the  firm  are  centrally  located  on  the  first 
floor  of  the  building  48  to  52  Weybosset  Street,  and  these 
quarters  have  been  continuously  used  as  a  banking  house 
since  they  were  first  occupied  by  Jackson  &  Butts  in 
1856.  B.  M.  Jackson  &  Company  succeeded  Jackson 
&  Butts,  who  were  in  turn  succeeded  by  D.  I.  Brown  & 
Company,  and  that  partnership  gave  place  to  Wilbour, 
Jackson  &  Company  in  1875.  Through  various  changes 
in  the  personnel  of  the  partners,  this  latter  style  has  since 
then  been  maintained.  The  present  members  of  the 
house  are  Joshua  Wilbour  and  Benj.  A.  Jackson.  Mr. 
Wilbour  is  a  director  in  the  Industrial  Trust  Company, 
in  the  Rhode  Island  Safe  Deposit  Company  and  in  the 
National  India  Rubber  Company,  and  at  present  repre- 
sents Bristol  in  the  State  Senate.  Mr.  Jackson  entered 


the  house  as  a  clerk  in  1864,  and  became  a  partner  when 
the  firm  of  D.  I.  Brown  &  Company  supplanted  B.  M. 
Jackson  &  Company.  Although  bearing  the  same  sur- 
name, he  is  not  a  relative  of  B.  M.  Jackson,  one  of  the 
founders  of  the  house.  Mr.  Jackson  is  president  of  the 
Globe  National  Bank,  director  and  auditor  of  the  Union 
Railroad  Company,  and  director  in  the  Bank  of  America 
Loan  and  Trust  Co.  For  conservative,  careful  deal- 
ing, Wilbour,  Jackson  &  Company  have  an  unblem- 
ished record,  and  stand  on  the  very  highest  financial 
level  of  reliability  and  trustworthiness. 

«  *  *  »  * 

An  industry  that  has  made  very  little  stir  in  the  busi- 
ness world,  but  which  nevertheless  has  contributed  in  a 
marked  degree  to  the  successful  working  of  important 
departments  in  many  of  the  leading  establishments  within 
this  state  and  elsewhere,  is  the  special  line  of  manufac- 
ture carried  on  by  the  Providence  Steam  Trap  Company. 
This  concern  was  started  in  1880,  at  its  present  location, 
No.  1 6  Codding  Street,  by  Mr.  Robert  Newton,  consult- 
ing and  mechanical  engineer.  Mr.  Newton  is  a  native 
of  England,  where,  after  learning  his  trade  as  a  mechani- 
cal engineer  with  the  celebrated  John  Kennedy,  he 
engaged  in  business  on  his  own  account,  and  acquired  a 
medium  fortune,  but  meeting  with  reverses,  and  losing 
nearly  the  whole  of  his  property,  he  decided  to  come  to 
America,  and  on  the  advice  of  friends  located  in  Prov 
idence.  Mr.  Newton  belongs  to  that  rare  class  of  men 
who  may  justly  be  called  "born  mechanics."  In  Eng- 
land such  was  his  skill  that  he  was  often  called  upon  as 
a  consulting  engineer  in  regard  to  some  of  the  heaviest 
and  most  important  work  in  process  in  the  country.  It 


THE  COTTON   CENTENNIAL. 


WORKS  OF  THE  GEO.  W.  STAFFORD  MFG.  CO.,  PROVlDhNCE,  R.  I. 


was  Mr.  Newton's  intention  at  first  to  introduce  his  com- 
pound steam  engine  and  boiler,  but  on  the  advice  of 
friends  he  decided  instead  to  engage  in  the  manufacture 
of  specialties,  chief  of  which  was  the  Newton  Steam 
Trap.  The  object  of  the  device  is  to  carry  away  the 
condensed  water  from  steam  engines  or  other  steam  con- 
nections, and  by  so  doing  to  get  more  radiation,  and  effect 
a  saving  in  the  force.  These  results  are  more  success- 
fully achieved  by  this  trap  than  by  any  other  similar 
device,  and  such  is  its  excellence  that  it  is  exclusively 
used  in  many  of  the  most  important  industrial  establish- 
ments in  the  country.  The  Providence  Steam  and  Gas 
Pipe  Company  have  applied  187,  the  Lowell  Bleachery 
and  Dye  Works,  Lowell,  Mass.,  have  in  use  133,  S.  H. 
Greene  &  Sons,  Clyde  Print  Works,  River  Point,  have 
87,  the  Providence  Worsted  Mills  have  about  40,  and 
the  trap  is  also  used  by  such  concerns  as  the  Atlantic 
Mills,  Fletcher  Manufacturing  Company,  many  of  the 
cotton  mills  in  Lowell,  Lawrence,  Fall  River,  Man- 
chester and  elsewhere,  throughout  the  country,  besides 
in  numerous  establishments  engaged  in  other  industries. 
At  present  there  are  700  of  these  traps  in  use  in  twenty  of 
the  largest  manufacturing  concerns  in  New  England  and 
Pennsylvania.  A  market  for  the  traps  has  been  developed 
in  all  parts  of  the  country,  and  the  following  leading  con- 
cerns act  as  agents  for  it :  Stearns,  Rogers  &  Company, 
Denver,  Col.  ;  the  Southern  Machinery  Company,  At- 
lanta, Ga.  ;  the  H.  Dudley  Coleman  Machinery  Com- 
pany, (limited)  New  Orleans  ;  Chandler  &  Littlefield, 
Chicago  ;  Chafer  &  Becker,  Cleveland.  The  company 
also  have  agencies  in  St.  Louis,  Omaha,  Minneapolis, 
Charlotte,  N.  C.,  Richmond,  Va.,  Boston,  Philadelphia 
and  New  York,  while  Miller  Brothers  &  Mitchell  manu- 
facture the  trap  on  royalty  in  Montreal,  Canada. 

Since  June,  1885,  Mr.  Newton  has  been  the  sole 
owner  of  the  business.  At  present  his  three  sons,  Robert 
W.,  Albert  S.  and  Julian,  are  associated  with  him. 
Beside  the  steam  trap,  the  concern  manufactures  Newton's 
Patent  Compensating  Valve,  Oscillating  Furnace  Bars, 


Furnace  Economizers,  Temperature 
Controller,  Combined  Steam,  Water 
and  Dirt  Separator,  and  a  Separator  and 
Strainer.  After  experimenting  for 
years,  Mr.  Newton  has  succeeded  in 
perfecting  a  Fuel  Economizer  and  Me- 
chanical Stoker  combined,  for  which 
he  recently  obtained  patents,  and  he  is 
about  to  begin  its  manufacture.  He 
owns  four  patents  on  the  steam  trap, 
and  thirteen  patents  in  all  on  his  own 

specialties. 

*  *  »  » 

The  George  W.  Stafford  Manufact- 
uring Company,  whose  plant  at  present 
is  situated  on  Harris  Avenue  and  Acorn 
Street,  was  started  in  1881  by  George 
W.  Stafford,  who  removed  to  Provi- 
dence from  Lawrence,  Mass.  The 
business  at  first  was  confined  to  the 
building  of  Jacquard  machines,  dobbies 
and  "  witches  "  used  for  fancy  weaving. 
This  is  still  a  leading  and  important  product  of  the  plant. 
The  business  was  begun  on  a  small  scale  in  a  single 
room  in  the  Builders'  Iron  Works  on  Codding  Street, 
thence  removing  to  Clifford  Street,  where,  in  1884,  an 
incorporated  company  was  formed.  Increased  demand 
for  larger  facilities  brought  about  a  further  removal  to 
Point  Street,  and  in  May,  1889,  the  present  quarters 
were  occupied,  covering  over  thirty  thousand  feet  of  floor 
space  as  compared  with  the  500  feet  which  was  needed 
at  the  beginning.  Since  moving  to  the  present  location, 
the  company  has  been  manufacturing  looms  —  though 
not  to  the  exclusion  of  the  earlier  output  of  the  plant. 
These  have  been  manufactured  less  than  a  year,  during 
which  time  over  two  hundred  have  been  made  for  the 
Slater  Cotton  Company,  of  Pawtucket.  There  is  also 
made  at  the  works  the  "Morton  let-off,"  the  patent  for 
which  is  owned  and  controlled  by  the  George  W.  Stafford 
Manufacturing  Company.  This  is  designed  to  give  an 
even  let-off"  to  the  warp  in  weaving,  is  coming  into  favor 
and  is  regarded  as  an  important  invention.  The'officers 
of  the  company  are  Gardner  C.  Sims,  president;  George 
W.  Stafford,  treasurer  and  general  manager ;  Charles  H. 
Poland,  secretary. 

*  *  *  *  * 

One  of  the  oldest  banks  in  Rhode  Island  is  the  Man- 
ufacturers National,  which  was  started  at  Pawtucket  in 
1813.  Oziel  Wilkinson  was  the  first  president,  and 
Samuel  Slater  the  second,  and  they  were  both  on  the 
first  board  of  directors.  The  institution  was  removed  to 
Providence  in  1831,  and  in  1865  was  reorganized  as  a 
national  bank.  A  three  dollar  bill  of  this  bank  signed  by 
Samuel  Slater  as  president  in  1824  and  made  payable  to 
N.  G.  B.  Dexter  is  now  in  the  possession  of  Mr.  John 
H.  Potter  of  Pawtucket  and  was  an  object  of  much  curi- 
osity during  the  Centenary  Celebration.  At  present 
Providence  has  twenty-five  national  banks  with  a  capital 
of  over  $15,000,000  ;  six  state  banks  with  nearly$i,5oo,- 
ooo  ;  three  trust  companies  with  $2,000,000 ;  and  five  in- 
stitutions for  savings  with  deposits  of  over  $25,000,000. 


PROVIDENCE   AND  THE   R.   I.   COTTON   DISTRICT. 


149 


The  firm  of  William  R.  Walker  &  Son,  architects,  has 
a  reputation  by  no  means  limited  to  the  city  of  Prov- 
idence. Some  of  the  finest  public  buildings,  churches 
and  private  residences  in  different  parts  of  Rhode  Island 
and  neighboring  states  have  been  designed  and  erected 
by  these  gentlemen,  who  rank  among  the  most  prom- 
inent architects  of  the  city.  The  business  was  established 
in  January,  1865,  by  General  William  R.  Walker,  in  the 
Merchants  Bank  Building,  whence  it  was  removed  to  the 
Reynolds  Building  on  Weybosset  Street  and  about  ten 
years  since  to  its  present  location,  in  the  Vaughan  Build- 
ing on  Custom  House  Street.  General  Walker's  son, 
Colonel  W.  Howard  Walker,  entered  the  office  in  1874, 
as  a  student,  and  became  a  partner  in  the  business  in 
January,  1881.  Messrs.  Walker  &  Son  are  prepared  to 
give  their  personal  attention  to  any  work  that  may  be 
entrusted  to  their  care,  and  many  of  the  elegant  specimens 
of  architecture  in  existence  in  this  vicinity  are  enduring 
monuments  of  their  skill. 

Among  the  earlier  pieces  of  architecture  designed  by 
General  Walker  are  "  Canonchet,"  the  summer  resi- 
dence of  ex-Governor  William  Sprague,  the  dwellings 
of  W.  F.  and  F.  C.  Sayles,  Pawtucket,  B.  B.  Knight, 
Providence,  John  C.  Whitin,  Whitinsville,  and  Henry  F. 
Barrows,  North  Attleboro',  Mass.  The  Narragansett 
Hotel  and  Providence  High  School  were  also  built  under 
his  supervision.  As  the  reputation  of  General  Walker 
became  more  widely  known,  he  was  called  upon  to 
design  public  buildings,  business  blocks  and  churches, 


COL.   W.  HOWARD   WALKER, 

OF  W.   R.   WALKER  &   SON,  ARCHITECTS. 


GEN.  WILLIAM  R.   WALKER, 

OF  W.   R.   WALKER  &    SCN,   ARCHITECTS. 

and  in  this  class  of  work  he  has  been  particularly  success- 
ful. Some  of  the  notable  specimens  of  the  later  work  of 
the  firm  have  been  the  reconstruction  of  the  City  Hall 
in  Fall  River,  the  Town  Halls  in  East  Providence  and 
in  Warren,  Central  Falls  High  School,  Brown  Univer- 
sity Library,  the  Mellen  House,  in  Fall  River,  Hail 
Free  Library  in  Warren,  Fall  River  National  Bank 
Building,  Corliss  Safe  Works  in  Auburn.  Ponemah  Mills, 
Taftville,  Conn.,  Vineyard  Street  School  House,  Prov- 
idence, Grove  Street  School  House,  Pawtucket,  Free- 
masons' Hall,  Vaughan,  Daniels  and  Equitable  Buildings 
in  Providence,  and  Brown  Building,  Fall  River.  Some 
of  the  more  important  church  edifices  produced  from  their 
designs  are  the  First  Universalist,  North  Attleboro', 
First  Baptist,  Pawtucket,  Christ  Episcopal  and  Union 
Congregational,  Providence,  while  among  the  private  resi- 
dences are  those  of  John  McAuslan,  Elmwood,  H.  N. 
Campbell,  Mrs.  H.  J.  Daniels,  Colonel  Nicholas  Van 
Slyck,  Providence,  Colonel  Spencer  Borden,  Fall  River, 
Alfred  A.  Reed,  Warwick,  General  Olney  Arnold,  Paw- 
tucket and  Honorable  D.  G.  Littlefield,  Central  Falls. 

General  Walker,  the  senior  member  of  the  firm,  has 
been  identified  with  the  militia  of  the  state  for  over  thirty 
years,  represented  the  old  town  of  North  Providence  in 
the  General  Assembly  several  years,  and  was  a  member 
of  the  town  councils  of  both  North  Providence  and  Paw- 
tucket. Colonel  W.  Howard  Walker,  the  junior  mem- 
ber, has  been  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Assessors  of  the 
city  of  Pawtucket  for  the  past  six  years,  has  been  identi- 


150 


THE   COTTON  CENTENNIAL. 


ENOS LAPHAM, 

OOTT3N    MANUFACTURER    AND   EX-LIEUTENANT-GOVERNOR    OF   RHODE    ISLAND. 

Bed  with  the  state  militia  since  1879,  and  is  at  the  present 
time  Assistant  Quartermaster-'General  of  the  state.  Both 
members  of  the  firm  reside  in  Pawtticket,  and  during  the 
week  of  the  Centenary  took  prominent  part  in  the  cele- 
bration, particularly  on  military  day,  General  Walker 
being  a  member  of  the  honorary  staff  of  Chief  Marshal 
General  Olney  Arnold,  while  Colonel  Walker  served  the 
same  gentleman  as  a  member  of  his  active  staff". 
***** 

The  cotton  factory  of  Enos  Lapham,  at  Centreville,  in 
Warwick,  R.  I.,  is  the  largest  mill  in  Rhode  Island 
owned  by  a  single  man.  It  is  on  the  site  of  one  of  the 
oldest  mills  in  the  state,  and  to  the  business  enterprise  of 
Enos  Lapham  and  his  brother,  who  was  his  associate  in 
the  manufactory  until  his  decease  a  few  years  since,  is 
largely  due  the  prosperity  of  the  town.  From  the  begin- 
ning the  two  brothers  were  virtually  partners  in  the 
industry,  though  the  mills  were  run  under  the  name  of 
Benedict  Lapham  until  his  death. 

Enos  Lapham  was  born  in  Burrillville,  September  13, 
1821,  and  is  a  descendant  of  John  Lapham  who  came 
from  England  to  this  country  in  1650.  His  father  was  a 
Methodist  local  preacher,  and  Enos  Lapham,  reared  in 
that  sect,  has  been  and  is  to-day  prominently  connected 
with  the  church  of  that  denomination  in  Warwick.  At 
a  very  early  age,  after  what  education  he  could  obtain  at 
the  district  school,  he  entered  a  cotton  mill  as  a  common 
hand,  and  soon  became  acquainted  with  the  practical 
details  of  the  business.  In  1839  he  anc^  his  brother 


Benedict  hired  a  small  factory  at  Frenchtown,  East 
Greenwich.  Enos  Lapham  was  then  18  years  old  —  and 
was  the  practical  mill  man  and  superintendent  while  his 
brother  was  the  business  manager.  In  1852  the  brothers 
removed  to  Warwick,  and  purchased  from  the  executors 
of  the  will  of  the  late  John  Green  the  estate  in  Centreville, 
embracing  two-thirds  of  the  water-power  and  all  the 
machinery  of  the  old  mills  which  were  built  in  1794  and 
1807,  and  were  among  the  first  to  be  erected  in  the  State 
of  Rhode  Island.  Here  the  manufacture  of  cotton  cloth 
was  begun  with  a  capacity  of  5,000  spindles.  In  1861 
large  additions  were  made,  and  in  1871  the  old  mills 
were  removed  and  a  new  structure  303  feet  in  length,  and 
one  of  the  fin<  st  mills  in  the  state,  was  built.  Mr.  Lapham 
was  his  own  architect,  and  in  the  erection  of  this  building 
as  well  as  in  all  the  details  and  plans  for  the  development 
of  the  industry,  the  two  brothers  worked  in  harmony. 
The  mill  contains  30,000  spindles  and  641  looms,  and  fur- 
nishes employment  to  400  operatives.  Both  steam  and 
water-power  are  used,  and  a  specialty  of  the  business,  in 
addition  to  the  various  grades  of  cotton  cloth  produced 
here,  is  the  manufacture  of  shade  cloths  or  window  cur- 
tains. In  1883  Benedict  Lapham  died,  and  the  entire 
property  came  into  the  possession  of  Enos  Lapham,  who 
is  the  present  manager  and  sole  owner  of  this  valuable 
mill  industry. 

The  property  of  Mr.  Lapham,  at  Centreville,  is  unen- 
cumbered, and  its  accumulation  is  the  result  of  earnest 
toil,  economy  and  perseverance.  Enos  Lapham  has  been 
a  prominent  figure  in  town  politics,  and  is  held  in  high 
esteem  by  the  citizens  of  Warwick  of  all  shades  of 
politics  and  religious  belief.  For  years  he  has  been  a 
member  of  the  town  council  of  Warwick,  represented  the 
town  in  the  State  Senate  in  1886,  and  was  elected  lieuten- 
ant-governor for  the  year  1888-9.  At  the  present  time  he 
is  a  member  of  the  Senate,  and  is  president  of  the  Cen- 
treville National  Bank  and  the  Warwick  Institution  for 

Savings. 

***** 

The  Hamlet  Mills  were  built  by  Mr.  Edward  Carring- 
ton  in  or  about  the  year  1826.  In  1842  the  mills  passed 
into  the  hands  of  Mr.  George  S.  Wardwell,  and  in  1859 
they  became  the  property  of  Mr.  Isaac  M.  Bull.  Mr. 
Bull  died  in  1884,  and  the  mills  were  idle  for  about  a 
year,  when  Messrs.  Tarbell  and  Harris  became  the 
owners.  In  1889  Mr.  Tarbell  sold  his  interest  to  Mr. 
Frank  Harris,  the  present  owner.  The  mills  manufac- 
ture shirtings,  sheetings  and  yarns.  The  selling  agents 
are  Messrs.  Coffin,  Altemas  &  Company,  in  New  York, 
Philadelphia,  Baltimore  and  Boston.  The  mills  are  sit- 
uated in  the  southern  part  of  the  city  of  Woonsocket. 
***** 

Early  last  summer  the  attention  of  the  multitudes  who 
rode  on  the  then  new  cable  road  in  the  city  of  Providence 
was  attracted  by  a  new  building  that  was  being  erected 
on  the  shores  of  the  Seekonk,  just  south  of  the  Red 
Bridge,  and  facing  Pitman  Street.  As  the  cars  swung 
around  into  Waterman  Street,  the  edifice  came  sharply 
into  view,  and  usually  provoked  the  inquiry  :  "  What  is 
that  building  going  to  be  ?  "  When  it  was  completed,  as 
the  signs  on  the  top  and  on  the  side  proclaimed,  it  proved 


PROVIDENCE   AND  THE    R.   I.   COTTON   DISTRICT. 


151 


CENTREVILLE  COTTON  MILL,  ENOS  LAPHAM,  PROPRIETOR. 


to  be  the  works  of  the  Manville  Covering  Company, 
makers  of  steam  pipe  and  boiler  coverings.  The  chief 
promoter  of  this  enterprise  is  Charles  B.  Manville,  a 
Western  man,  residing  in  Milwaukee,  and  characterized 
by  all  the  vim  and  enterprise  usually  associated  with  res- 
idents of  that  section.  Mr.  Manville  a  number  of  years 
ago  invented  a  covering  for  steam  pipes  and  boilers  that 
had  many  advantages  over  any  previously  in  use.  He 
secured  patents  and  immediately  proceeded  to  manufac- 
ture, establishing  a  company  at  Milwaukee,  Wis.,  six 
years  ago,  which  has  since  developed  into  a  large  con- 
cern. The  covering  had  so  many  excellencies  that  not 


only  leading  manufacturers  in  the  West  began  to  use  it,  but 
so  many  orders  commenced  to  come  from  eastern  parties 
that  Mr.  Manville  decided  to  manufacture  in  Providence, 
and  accordingly  located  here  last  year.  The  Providence 
concern  although  called  by  the  same  name  and  making 
the  same  goods,  has  no  connection  with  the  establish- 
ment in  Milwaukee,  but  Mr.  Manville  is  the  leading 
owner  in  both  corporations. 

The  covering  made  by  the  Manville  Company  is  com- 
posed of  sheep's  wool  or  shoddy,  compounded  with  a 
non-combustible  solution,  largely  composed  of  fire  clay, 
and  when  applied  to  steam  pipes  prevents  the  conden- 


HAMLET   MILLS,  WOONSOCKET. 


152 


THE   COTTON   CENTENNIAL. 


sation  of  the  steam  and  radiation  of  the  heat,  by  this 
means  affecting  a  great  saving  in  fuel  and  ensuring  a 
more  effective  service  from  the  steam.  It  has  been  calcu- 
lated that  on  each  100  feet  of  uncovered  pipe  there  is  a 
loss  of  fuel  equal  to  $64.47  by  radiation  and  condensation, 
and  this  sum  would  be  saved  by  a  covering  which  would 
absolutely  prevent  this  result.  Such  a  covering  is  the 
one  prepared  by  the  Manville  Company,  as  it  retains  the 
heat  and  excludes  the  cold  better  than  any  other  in  use, 
while  it  is  also  non-combustible,  is  practical,  durable  and 
contains  no  harmful  ingredients  that  will  destroy  or  rust 
pipes  and  boilers.  The  wool  and  clay  together  form  a 
tough  mass,  which  at  the  same  time  has  great  elasticity. 
It  is  applied  directly  to  the  pipes,  boiler  or  other  surfaces 
in  a  plastic  state,  strong  muslin  is  then  wound  around  it 
spirally,  and  in  a  few  hours  the  whole  composition  dries 
into  a  compact,  impervious  mass.  The  outer  surface  is 
then  smoothly  finished  with  a  fire-proof  compound.  The 
company  also  makes  a  sectional  covering  of  wool  felt 
paper,  that  comes  in  lengths  and  can  be  easily  applied  to 
all  styles  of  pipes ;  a  covering  for  brine  and  ammonia 
pipes  ;  and  a  special  covering  for  superheated  surfaces. 

The  works  are  well  situated,  being  directly  on  the 
water  front,  so  that  vessels  can  come  up  to  the  back  of 
the  building,  and  it  is  the  intention  of  the  company  to 
erect  a  dock  the  coming  season,  making  it  possible  to  land 
in  the  yard  of  the  works  the  heavy  materials  used  in  the 
manufacture. 

*  *  *  «  * 

The  driving  of  what  is  known  as  artesian  wells  is  a 
branch  of  business  which  has  had  considerable  develop- 
ment in  New  England  within  the  past  ten  years.  These 
wells  ordinarily  furnish  water  for  manufacturing  pur- 
poses, instead  of  the  city  or  town  supply.  It  is  equally 
good,  and  in  many  cases  the  possession  of  artesian  wells 
is  very  advantageous,  financially,  to  a  manufacturer  or 
corporation.  Mr.  Philip  N.  Lothrop,  whose  place  of 
business  is  on  Fenner  Street,  in  Providence,  is  one  of 
the  prominent  men  engaged  in  this  business,  having  been 
connected  with  it  for  ten  years.  Until  within  a  year 


WORKS  OF  THE  MANVILLE  COVERING  COMPANY,  PROVIDENCE,  R. 


'PHILIP  N.    LOTHROP, 

OF    P.    N.    LOTHROP   &   COMPANY. 

he  had  an  office  at  the  Mechanics  Exchange  —  and  from 
Providence  as  headquarters,  he  is  engaged  at  different 
parts  of  New  England  In  sinking  wells.  These  are 
usually  from"  six  to  ten  inches  in  diameter,  and  vary  all  the 
way  from  fifty  to  one  thousand  feet.  They  do  not  flow 
in  New  England  —  in  some  parts  of  the  South  and  West 
a  natural  flow  is  obtained  from  an  artesian  well  —  but  are 
the  same  as  an  ordinary  well  except  in  diameter.  The 
water  is  pumped  by  steam,  by  a  wind  engineer  by  hand. 
The  preponderance  of  power  in  New  England  is  from 
the  air-motor,  furnished  by  Mr.  Lothrop,  who  is  agent 
for  Rhode  Island  and  Southern  Massachusetts.  This 
motor  is  made  of  steel  or  malleable  iron  —  never  of  wood 
—  and  there  have  been  put  in,  at  different  parts  of  New 
England,  the  past  year,  over  three  hundred  of  these 
motors  for  furnishing  powerto  pump  water  from  artesian 
wells.  The  increase  in  the  business  is  shown  by  the  fact 
that  when  Mr.  Lothrop  first  came  to  Providence  there 
was  no  one  outside  of  Boston  drilling  any  wells  larger 
than  three  inches.  To-day  there  are  owned  in  the  vicin- 
ity of  Providence  about  fif- 
teen outfits,  employing  on 
an  average  fifty  men.  Mr. 
Lothrop  has  been  very 
fortunate  in  sinking  wells, 
and  within  the  past  year 
has  had  some  large  con- 
tracts, and  the  pursuance 
of  his  business  takes  him 
from  Providence  a  large 
portion  of  the  time.  Every- 
thing in  the  matter  of  fur- 
nishing a  water  supply, 
from  a  small  well  to  a  vil- 
lage supply  of  fair  propor- 
tions, is  in  the  line  of  work 
for  which  Mr.  Lothrop  is 
prepared.  The  business  is 
done  under  the  name  of 
Philip  N.  Lothrop  & 
Company. 


QWTER  IX. 


THE  COTTON  MANUFACTURE  IN  NEW  ENGLAND. 


POSITION  OF  NEW  ENGLAND  AS  THE  HOME  OF  THE  COTTON  MANUFACTURE  IN  AMERICA — FALL  RIVER — WALTHAM— LOWELL 
— LAWRENCE — NEW  BEDFORD — CHICOPEE — CLINTON — MILLS  THROUGHOUT  MASSACHUSETTS— MANCHESTER — LEWISTON — 
SAGO  AND  BlDDEFORD,  AND  OTHER  PLACES  IX  MAINE — NASHUA,  DOVER,  GREAT  FALLS  AND  THE  NEW  HAMPSHIRE 
MILLS — CONNECTICUT'S  VILLAGES  AND  MILLS — JICWETT  CITY  AND  THE  FAMILY  OF  JOHN  SLATER — MILLS  IN  VERMONT — 
SOME  LEADING  CONCERNS  IN  VARIOUS  PARTS  OF  NEW  ENGLAND. 

small  mills   in    1813, 
and  was  then  a  little 
village  known  by  the 
name    of    Troy.      It 
consisted      of    about 
thirty    dwelling- 
houses,      three      saw 
mills,  four  grist  mills, 
a  fulling  mill,  a  black- 
smith shop  with  a  trip 
ham  mer,  several  small 
stores,    while   a    few 
small    sloops    consti- 
tuted   all     the    ship- 
ping.   Between   1820 
and   1830,  a    number 
of  cotton    mills  were 
erected   on    the   hill- 
side, along  the  banks 
of  the    Quequechan. 
In  182 1  the  Fall  River 
Iron  Works  were  es- 
tablished,   occupying 
the    lowest   water- 
power,    and  for  four 
decades  this  corpora- 
tion  exercised     the    controlling    influence    in    building 
up   and    directing    the    industries    of    the    place.       Its 
managers  and  owners  were  the  large  land  owners  and 
leading  capitalists,   and  the  corporation  owned  all  that 
part  of  the   shore  line  most  eligible  for  wharfage.     In 
1825,  for  the  purpose  of  the  preservation  and  control  of 
the  water-power  the  Watuppa  Reservoir  Company  was 
formed,  and  in  1832,  built  a  dam,  two  feet  in  height,  just 
above  where  the  river  begins  its  descent  down  the  hill- 
side.    In  the  distance  of  about  a  half  a  mile  the  total  fall 
is  about  one  hundred  and  thirty-two  feet  and  the  volume 
of  water   122  cubic  feet  a  second.     The  first  mills  were 
built  directly  across  this  stream,  and  were  situated  on  the 
hill-side,  most  of  the  water-wheels  being  placed  in   the 
bed  of  the    river.     The    river    is   uniform  in  its   water 
supply  and  has  never  been  subject  to  freshets,  the  water 
being  obtained  from  great  natural  reservoirs,  the  Watuppa 
Ponds,  so  that  the  building  of  the  mills   in   this  manner 
was  perfectly  safe. 

In  1859,  a  movement  was  begun  which  had  a  great 
influence  on  the   future  development  of  Fall  River,  and 


A  SPINNING  EXHIBITION,  BY  BOSTON  MAIDENS,  ON  THE  COMMON  IN  1753. 


About  three-fourths  of  the  entire  amount  of  cotton 
manufacturing  in  the  United  States  is  carried  on  in  New 
England.  Massachusetts  leads  all  the  other  states,  while 
Rhode  Island,  Connecticut,  New  Hampshire  and  Maine 
follow  in  the  order  named.  Rhode  Island,  however, 
produces  a  much  larger  amount  of  cotton  goods  than  any 
other  section  in  the  country  in  proportion  to  her  popula- 
tion and  extent  of  territory.  Vermont  is  at  the  foot  of  the 
list,  and  does  much  less  than  a  number  of  the  middle  and 
southern  states.  The  principal  centres  of  the  manu- 
facture are  consequently  in  New  England,  at  Fall  River, 
Lowell,  Lawrence,  NewBedford,  Providence  and  vicinity, 
Manchester,  N.  H.,  and  Lewiston,  Me.,  while  on  many 
of  the  rivers  are  smaller  places  which  help  very  materially 
to  swell  the  total.  Accounts  of  the  beginning  of  the 
industry  in  Lowell,  Fall  River,  Lawrence  and  Manches- 
ter have  already  been  given,  but  a  brief  summary  of  the 
subsequent  development  of  those  places  and  of  some  of 
the  other  centres  will  be  of  interest. 

Fall  River,  now  the  principal  seat  of  the  cotton  cloth 
manufacture  in  America,  began  the  industry  with  two 


154 


THE    COTTON   CENTENNIAL 


BORDEN,  ROBINSON  AND  DAVOL  MILLS,  FALL  RIVER. 

took  eventually,  the  controlling  interest  in  its  affairs  out 
of  the  hands  of  the  Iron  Works  Company.  In  that  year, 
the  Union  Mills  Company  was  started,  the  first  corpora- 
tion to  raise  its  capital  by  general  subscription,  and  such 
was  the  success  of  this  venture,  that  in  a  few  years  other 
similar  companies  were  formed,  until  to-day,  the  Fall 
River  factories  are  all  operated  by  joint  stock  corpora- 
tions, and  the  business  could  not  probably  have  been 
developed  to  its  present  immense  proportions  except 
through  this  means  of  combining  multitudes  of  small 
resources.  Up  to  1868,  seven  more  corporations  were 
organized,  some  of  them  building  more  than  one  mill, 
and  all  were  very  prosperous.  The  years  1871-2,  how- 
ever, showed  the  most  remarkable  development  of  these 
corporations,  as  in  that  period  fifteen  were  organized, 
factories  erected  involving  an  outlay  of  $13,000,000, 
adding  500,000  spindles  to  those  previously  in  operation, 
furnishing  work  for  6, coo  people,  and  thereby  adding  to 
the  population  of  the  city  20,000  persons.  In  1865,  Fall 
River  had  fifteen  cotton  mills  with  only  241,218  spindles  ; 
in  1875,  there  were  thirty-eight  mills  with  1,280,000 
spindles,  and  during  this  same  period  the  production  of 
cotton  cloth  had  increased  from  30,- 
ooo.oco  to  330,000,000  yards  per 
annum.  The  introduction  of  the 
principle  of  public  subscription  to 
the  stock  of  the  mill  corporations  in 
the  case  of  the  Union  Mills  was  still 
further  developed  in  1867,  when  the 
Merchants  Manufacturing  Company 
was  organized  with  a  capital  of 
$800,000  divided  among  250  stock- 
holders, and  the  Mechanics  Mills  in 
1868,  with  a  capital  of  $750,000, 
and  328  stockholders,  no  one  of 
whom  owned  more  than  $2,500. 

The  older  mills,   those  built  pre- 
vious to   1860,    were  nearly    all 


located  on  the  river  on  the  last  half-mile  of  its  course, 
and  were  at  first  operated  entirely  by  water-power. 
The  mills  built  between  1860  and  1870  were  mostly 
located  on  the  banks  of  the  river,  from  the  brow  of  the 
hill  back  to  near  the  head  where  it  issued  from  the  ponds, 
and  were  all  steam-mills.  Some  of  those  built  in  1871-2 
and  subsequently,  were  also  erected  in  this  region  ;  others 
in  the  northern  sections  of  the  city  on  the  banks  of  the 
Taunton  River  ;  several  on  the  shores  of  the  ponds  to  the 
eastward  ;  and  the  remainder  on  Laurel  Lake,  a  small 
body  of  water  between  the  territory  of  Fall  River  and 
Tiverton  to  the  south.  At  present  there  are  forty  corpo- 
rations in  Fall  River  engaged  in  the  cotton  manufacture, 
operating  sixty-five  mills,  the  total  horse-power  utilized 
is  47,435,  of  which  about  1,500  is  water-power  obtained 
from  the  wheels  still  in  use.  The  capital  invested  is 
more  than  twenty-one  millions  of  dollars.  Six  hundred 
millions  yards  of  cloth  are  produced  annually  from  250,- 
ooo  bales  of  cotton,  and  the  number  of  persons  engaged 
in  the  business  is  22,000. 

Waltham,  Mass.,  is  entitled  to  a  place  of  honor  in  the 
annals  of  the  cotton  manufacture,  as  here  the  American 
system  of  arranging  all  the  processes  under  one  roof  was 
first  put  in  operation,  and  here  also  the  power-loom  was 
started,  both  these  achievements  being  due  to  the  genius 
of  Francis  C.  Lowell.  The  scene  of  these  two  events 
was  the  factory  of  the  Boston  Manufacturing  Company. 
The  projectors  of  this  company  were  F.  C.  Lowell, 
Nathan  Appleton  and  Patrick  Tracy  Jackson,  and  a 
charter  was  granted  in  1812,  with  an  authorized  capital 
of  $400,000,  but  it  was  decided  to  raise  only  $joo,ooo 
until  the  experiment  was  tried.  Messrs.  Lowell  and 
Jackson  furnished  the  most  of  the  capital,  and  February 
23,  1815,  a  patent  was  granted  to  them  jointly,  for  the 
power-loom.  They  also  inaugurated  at  Waltham  boarding 
houses  for  the  operatives,  a  plan  of  Mr.  Lowell  which 
was  radically  opposed  to  the  English  system,  and  this 
plan  was  followed  in  Lowell  and  other  factory  places. 
The  success  of  this  company  was  very  marked  at  the  out- 
set, and  from  it  Mr.  Appleton  and  his  coadjutors  were 
induced  to  enlarge  operations  at  Waltham  and  to  look 
for  power  elsewhere.  Such  a  power  was  found  at  Paw- 
tucket  Falls,  on  the  Merrimack  River,  in  Chelmsford,  and 
here  was  established,  by  the  same  men  who  organized 
the  Boston  Manufacturing  Company,  the  great  cotton 


VIEW  OF  THE  MILLS  ALONG  THE  OUEQUECHAN,  FALL  RIVER. 


THE  COTTON  MANUFACTURE  IN  NEW  ENGLAND. 


155 


manufacturing  city  of  Lowell.  In  the  machine  shop  in 
Waltham,  under  the  supervision  of  Paul  Moody,  the 
machinery  for  the  two  mills  of  the  Merrimack  Manufac- 
turing Company  was  built,  and  Mr.  Moody  himself, 
being  released  from  a  contract  with  the  Boston  Manufac- 
turing Company,  removed  to  Lowell,  and  there  started  a 
machine  shop  in  which  a  large  share  of  the  machinery 
used  in  the  mills  in  that  place  was  built.  Cotton  cloth  in 
various  widths,  for  sheetings  and  shirtings,  as  well  as 
cotton  hosiery,  and  underwear,  is  manufactured  at  Wal- 
tham, the  capacity  of  the  mills  at  present  being  58,600 
spindles  and  1 ,000  looms,  and  the  capital  of  the  corpora- 
tion is  $800,000. 

The  first  mill  of  the  Merrimack   Company  was  built 
at  Lowell  in  1823,   and   the   next  year  a  large  machine 


water-power,  favorable  location  and  easy  terms  on  which 
land  and  water  rights  could  be  secured,  quickly  attracted 
manufacturers  to  Lowell,  and  in  the  decade  from  1826  to 
1836,  the  foundations  of  the  majority  of  the  present  exten- 
sive concerns  were  laid.  The  Hamilton  Manufacturing 
Company  started  in  1826,  the  Appleton  Company  in 
1828,  the  Lawrence  Manufacturing  Company  in  1831, 
the  Tremont  and  Suffolk  Mills  in  1831,  the  Boott  Cotton 
Mills  in  1831;,  the  Lowell  Bleachery  and  Dye  Works 
in  1828,  the  Massachusetts  Cotton  Mills  in  1839.  The 
industry  of  the  city  has  however  not  been  confined  to 
cotton,  as  some  of  the  most  important  corporations  are 
engaged  in  the  woolen  manufacture,  while  there  are 
extensive  shops  for  the  construction  of  cotton  and  woolen 
machinery.  The  Lowell  Manufacturing  Company,  which 


VIEW  OF  FALL   RIVER  FROM  THE   HIGH  SCHOOL   BUILDING. 


shop  was  erected.  The  locks  and  canals  at  Pawtucket 
Falls  on  the  Merrimack  River,  were  originally  built  for 
the  purpose  of  facilitating  navigation,  but  were  destined 
to  serve  a  far  different  purpose.  In  1822  the  Merrimack 
Company  became  possessed  of  this  property,  but  in  1826 
the  land,  water-power  and  machine  shop  was  set  off"  to 
the  old  corporation  that  had  formerly  existed  —  the  Pro- 
prietors of  Locks  and  Canals.  The  capital  of  this  corpo- 
ration was  increased  to  $600,000,  and  it  immediately  set 
about  the  improvement  of  the  water-privilege  by  the 
building  of  new  canals,  the  laying  out  of  streets,  and 
entered  extensively  upon  the  business  of  selling  water- 
power,  mill  sites  and  building  lots.  The  Merrimack 
Company  continued  to  increase  its  plant  from  year  to 
year,  until  at  present  in  its  cotton  mills  it  operates  156,- 
480  spindles  and  4,607  looms,  while  it  also  has  a  calico 
print  work  running  twenty  machines.  The  excellent 


originally  started  a  cotton  mill 'in  1828,  now  carries 
on  very  extensively  the  manufacture  of  carpets ;  the 
Middlesex  Mills  started  in  1830,  make  suitings,  coatings, 
cassimeres  and  other  woolen  goods ;  the  Belvidere 
Woolen  Manufacturing  Company  makes  flannels  and 
dress  goods  ;  and  a  number  of  smaller  establishments  are 
also  engaged  in  the  woolen  manufacture.  The  capital 
invested  in  the  cotton  industry  alone  in  Lowell  amounts 
to  more  than  eighteen  million  dollars,  while  over  one 
million  spindles,  and  about  thirty  thousand  looms  are 
operated. 

Lawrence,  situated  on  the  Merrimack  River,  ten  miles 
below  Lowell,  owes  its  origin  to  some  of  the  men  who 
were  instrumental  in  building  up  that  place.  The  two 
cities  are  usually  named  together  as  in  reality  they  form 
one  cotton  district.  The  water-power  here  was  devel- 
oped by  the  Essex  Company,  which  in  1845  built  a  dam 


156 


THE  COTTON   CENTENNIAL. 


over  a  mile  in   length  and  entered  upon  the  business  of 
selling  mill-sites  and  water-privileges.     The  first  factories 
erected  were  the  Atlantic  Cotton  Mills  in  1846,  and  these 
factories  now  contain  over   100,000  spindles  and  1,000 
looms.       The   leading   corporation,    the    Pacific   Mills, 
starttd  in  1853,  and  now  one  of  the  largest  concerns  in 
the  country,  is  engaged  in  the  co'tton  and  worsted  manu- 
facture and  in  calico  printing.     In  its  cotton  mills  180,- 
ooo  spindles  and  4,000  looms  are  operated,  and  prints 
and  fancy  cottons  are  made,  while  in  the  print  works 
thirty  machines  are  used  ;  in  its  worsted  mills  are  25,000 
spindles,   2,686  looms  and  fifty  sets  of  forty-eight-inch 
cards,  the  goods  produced  being  delaines   and    similar 
fabrics.     Other  important  cotton  manufacturing  concerns 
are  the  Pemberton    Company,    the   Everett   Mills,    the 
Lawrence  Duck  Com- 
pany  and    the   Law- 
rence Line  Company. 
There   are  a  number 
of    establishments   in 
addition  to  the  Pacific 
Mills  engaged  in  the 
woolen  industry,   the 
most      important     of 
which  are  the  Wash- 
ington Mills,  the  Ar- 
lington Mills,  and  the 
Wright    Manufactur- 
ing Company.     Over 
twelve  thousand  per- 
sons are  here  engaged 
in  the  textile  factories. 
Although   the    city 
of  New  Bedford  can- 
not be  said  to  be  one 
of  the  original  homes 
of  the  cotton  industry 
in    America,    it    has 
become  at  the  present 
time     an      important 
centre   of  the    manu- 
facture,   and    is   only 
surpassed  in  the 
amount  of  capital  in- 
vested and  in  the  ca- 
pacity of  its  factories  by  Fall  River,  Lowell,  Lawrence 
and  Manchester,  N.  H.     Indeed  it  is  a  question  whether 
it  does  not  surpass  the  last  two  named  in  these  respects. 
The  first  cotton  factory  was  erected  in  1847  by  the  Wam- 
sutta  Mills  corporation,  Thomas  Bennett,  Jr.,  being  the 
agent  and  superintendent.    Mr.  Bennett  continued  in  these 
positions  until  1874.     The  second  mill  was  built  in  1854, 
the  third  in  1860,  the  fourth,  a  mammoth  brick  structure, 
in  1868,  a  fifth  mill  in  1875,  and  finally  in  1882,  the  last 
of  the  series  No.  6,  was  erected.     These  factories  are 
situated  in  one  cluster  on  the  banks   of  the   Acushnet 
River,  an  inlet  of  Buzzards  Bay,  at  the  north  part  of  the 
city.     The  Wamsutta  corporation  employs  in  its  six  mills 
about  2,600  persons,  operates  204,000  spindles  and  4,500 
looms,  and  the  capital  stock   is  $3,000,000.     The  other 
cotton  corporations  are  the  Potomska  Mills,  the  Acushnet 


THE  DURFEE  HIGH  SCHOOL,  FALL   RIVER. 

ERECTED    BY   THE    WIDOW  OF     BRADFORD    DURFEE,    IN    MEMORY   OF    HER    SON,    B.    M.   O.    DURFEE. 


Mills,  the  Grinnell  Manufacturing  Company,  the  New 
Bedford  Manufacturing  Company,  the  City  Manufac- 
turing Company,  the  Howland  Mills,  the  Bennett  Manu- 
facturing Company,  and  the  Hathaway  Manufacturing 
Company.  The  mills  of  these  corporations  have  all 
been  erected  since  1871,  and  the  greater  number  of  them 
since  1881.  They  are  nearly  all  large  structures  with  the 
latest  improvements  in  machinery  and  facilites.  The 
capital  invested  amounts  to  more  than  $8,250,000,  about 
700,000  spindles  and  13,000  loomsare  operated  and  6,000 
operatives  employed.  In  the  early  part  of  the  century  New 
Bedford  was  famous  as  the  greatest  of  all  whaling  ports, 
and  her  citizens  were  either  engaged  in  this  business  or 
in  occupations  relating  to  the  fitting  out  of  the  ships  and 
the  manufacture  and  shipment  of  the  oil.  While  it  still 

retains  its  relative 
rank  as  a  whaling 
port  there  has  been  a 
great  decline  in  that 
industry.  The  in- 
crease in  the  cotton 
manufacture,  came  at 
an  opportune  time 
for  the  city  and  has 
been  the  means  of 
enabling  it  to  advance 
to  a  higher  position 
in  population  and 
business  than  ever 
before. 

One  of  the  most 
prominent  concerns 
in  New  Bedford  is 
the  Morse  Twist  Drill 
and  Machine  Com- 
pany, which  controls 
many  patents  on  their 
own  productions,  and 
has  consequently  a 
very  large  field  to  it- 
self. The  extensive 
factories  are  located 
in  the  south  part  of 
the  city,  and  many 
skilled  mechanics  are 
employed.  The  New  Bedford  Cordage  Company,  estab- 
lished in  1842,  has  an  extensive  establishment  in  the 
western  part  of  the  city.  The  New  Bedford  Copper 
Works,  situated  on  the  water  front,  near  the  Wamsutta 
Mills,  was  started  in  1860,  and  at  present  makes  copper 
shells  for  calico  printing,  and  a  great  variety  of  rolled 
copper  work.  At  the  southern  part  of  the  city,  facing 
the  harbor,  is  the  Mount  Washington  Glass  Works, 
established  in  1869.  In  the  same  neighborhood  are  the 
the  works  of  the  Pairpoint  Manufacturing  Company, 
makers  of  silver-plated  ware,  established  on  a  small  scale 
in  1880,  but  as  the  business  continuously  developed  the 
present  extensive  buildings  were  erected  as  the  necessity 
for  better  accommodations  arose.  On  Fish  Island,  which 
is  crossed  by  the  long  bridge  connecting  New  Bedford 
with  Fairhaven,  is  the  oil  works  of  William  F.  Nye,  said 


THE  COTTON  MANUFACTURE  IN  NEW  ENGLAND. 


157 


to  be  the  largest  manufactory  of  sewing  machine,  watch 
and  clock  oils  in  the  world.  New  Bedford  surpasses  the 
majority  of  the  cotton  centres  in  the  variety  of  her  indus- 
tries, which  beside  those  already  mentioned,  include  the 
making  of  boots  and  shoes,  the  construction  of  carriages, 
the  working  of  iron  and  brass,  the  manufacture  of  flour, 
of  picture  frames,  of  boom  lances  and  guns  for  use  in 
whaling,  the  making  of  bobbins  and  spools,  and  reeds  and 
harnesses  for  the  cotton  factories,  the  construction  of  sail 
and  row  boats,  and  the  making  of  many  other  articles. 

On  the  southern  bank  of  the  Chicopee  River,  at 
Chicopee,  Mass.,  about  three  miles  from  Springfield,  are 
situated  several  large  cotton  factories  —  all,  however,  at 
the  present  time,  being  the  property  of  two  corporations. 
The  larger  as  well  as  younger  of  these  is  the  Dwight 
Manufacturing  Company,  incorporated  in  1841.  Prior 
to  this  there  had  been  established  the  Cabot  Manufac- 
turing Company,  in  1832,  and  the  Perkins  Mills  in  1836, 
and  a  union  of  these  two  was  effected  in  1851,  and  in 
1856  the  consolidation  of  the  three  companies  was 
accomplished,  the  corporate  title  of  the  new  concern 


at  present,  over  two  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  square 
feet  of  flooring,  while  60,000  spindles  and  2,800  looms 
are  operated.  The  capital  is  now  $1,200,000.  There  is 
also,  at  Clinton,  the  Griswoldville  Manufacturing  Com- 
pany, which  makes  sheetings  and  shirtings,  and  runs 
1 8,000  spindles  and  402  looms;  and  the  Clinton  Yarn 
Company,  which  turns  out  yarns  and  batting. 

After  having  given  accounts  of  the  great  centres,  it 
would  be  impossible  to  enter  into  much  detail  in  regard 
to  the  remainder  of  the  cotton  manufacture  throughout 
Massachusetts,  as  on  nearly  every  stream  in  the  state  fac- 
tories are  located,  and  almost  every  village  has  one  or 
more  establishments  that  carry  on  some  branch  of  the 
business.  Of  the  total  number  of  14,457,024  spindles 
reported  as  running  in  the  whole  country  in  1889,  Mas- 
sachusetts had  5*905,875,  or  more  than  two-fifths.  The 
offices  of  the  mill  companies  are  chiefly  located  in  Boston. 
The  most  important  places  in  addition  to  those  men- 
tioned are  Holyoke,  with  over  200,000  spindles  in 
operation;  Taunton,  with  about  150,000  spindles  ;  Wor- 
cester, Salem,  Adams,  and  North  Adams,  Amesbury, 


NEW  BEDFORD,  FROM  THE  HARBOR. 


being  the  Dwight  Manufacturing  Company.  Seven 
mills  were  owned  by  the  three  companies  ;  this  number 
was  not  increased  after  the  consolidation,  but  the  pro- 
ductive capacity  of  each  was  enlarged.  The  finer  grades 
of  cotton  made  here  received  an  award  at  the  Centennial ; 
the  coarser  grades  are  exported.  The  capital  at  present 
is  $1,200,000,  and  there  are  120,000  spindles  and  3,200 
looms.  The  Chicopee  Manufacturing  Company  is  the 
oldest  cotton  establishment  in  the  place,  having  begun 
business  in  1822,  and  manufactures  flannels,  sheetings  and 
shirtings,  with  a  capital  of  $1,000,000,  and  a  capacity  of 
67,000  spindles  and  1,900  looms. 

Clinton,  Mass  ,  is  situated  on  the  Nashua  River,  and 
here,  in  1844,  was  established  the  first  mill  for  the  manu- 
facture of  ginghams.  The  company  was  organized  by 
Erastus  B.  Bigelow,  who  had  previously  established  in 
Lowell  the  manufacture  of  ingrain  carpets.  The  industry 
became  known  as  the  Lancaster  Mills,  and  the  ginghams 
early  attained  a  high  reputation.  The  capital  stock  which 
at  first  was  only  $500,000,  was  nearly  doubled  within 
five  years,  and  additions  in  the  buildings  and  capacity  of 
the  mills  have  been  made  from  time  to  time  until  there  is, 


Blackstone,  Newburyport,  Millbury,  Manchaug,  Webster, 
Fitchburg,  Easthampton,  Fishdale,  Whitinsville,  North- 
bridge,  Thorndike,  Southbridge,  West  Warren,  Oak- 
dale,  Hebronville,  Dodgeville,  Attleboro  and  North 
Attleboro,  Canton,  Turner's  Falls,  Williamstown,  Win- 
chenden,  Bond's  Village,  Plymouth,  Shirley,  South 
Hadley  Falls,  Springfield,  North  Uxbridge,  Walpole, 
Gloucester,  Housatonic  and  other  towns  and  villages. 

The  story  of  the  founding  and  development  of  Man- 
chester, N.  H.,  has  already  been  told  in  the  chapters 
devoted  to  Samuel  Slater  and  the  pioneer  manufacturers. 
There  are  only  three  other  corporations  beside  the  original 
one,  the  Amoskeag  Manufacturing  Company,  engaged  in 
the  cotton  manufacture,  but  they  are  all  very  extensive 
concerns,  each  operating  a  number  of  mills.  These  cor- 
porations are  the  Manchester  Mills  with  a  capital  of 
$2,000,000;  the  Stark  Mills,  with  $1,250,000 ;  and  the 
Amory  Manufacturing  Company  with  $1,350,000.  The 
combined  capital  of  the  four  corporations,  the  Amoskeag 
having  $4,000,000,  amounts  thus  to  the  great  sum  of 
$8,600,000,  thereby  placing  Manchester  next  to  if  not 
ahead  of  Lawrence  in  this  respect.  A  considerable 


158 


THE  COTTON  CENTENNIAL. 


amount  of  woolen  manufacturing  is  also  carried  on  by 
the  Manchester  Mills,  the  Devonshire  Mills,  the  Everett 
Knittinsr  Works  and  some  smaller  concerns. 

e 

Lewiston,  Maine,  whose  mills  are  situated  on  the 
Androscoggin  River,  has  a  large  amount  of  capital 
invested  in  the  cotton  industry.  The  water-privilege  and 
power  in  Lewiston  are  in  possession  of  the  Franklin 
Company,  which  is  the  successor  of  the  Lewiston  Water- 
Power  Company,  and  is  exceedingly  valuable.  When 
Lawrence  J.  Harris,  who  emigrated  thither  from  Dracut 
in  1772,  brought  materials  for  the  erection  of  mills,  he 
was  to  receive  two  large  lots  of  land  around  the  falls,  and 
100  acres  for  each  of  his  five  sons,  the  title  of  which  is 
included  in  the  property  held  by  the  Franklin  Company. 
One  of  the  first  mills  started  by  this  company  was  the 
Porter  Mill,  in  1853,  and  this  was  purchased  in  1866,  by 
the  Continental  Company,  which  has  since  operated  it, 
and  with  the  additions  and  improvements  is  the  largest 
corporation  in  Lewiston.  This  mill  when  first  occupied 
by  the  Continental  Company  contained  only  27,000 
spindles,  and  was  scarcely  one-third  its  present  size. 
To-day  it  has  been  enlarged  to  a  frontage  of  787  feet, 
with  six  floors,  giving  a  superficial  area  of  over  eight 
acres,  and  there  are  7°>272  spindles,  and  1622  looms. 
The  capital  is  $1,500,000,  and  the  entire  product  is  a 
brown  cotton  cloth,  known  as  the  Continental,  never 
bleached,  thirty-six  and  forty  inches  wide,  intended 
for  sheetings  and  shirtings.  The  Bates  Manufacturing 
was  incorporated  in  1852,  with  a  capital  of  $1,000,000, 
though  Benjamin  E.  Bates  had  been  making  cotton  cloth 
there  before  that  time.  In  18481110  Bates  Mills  consisted 
of  two  factories,  with  a  capacity  of  34,000  spindles,  and 
the  manufacture  of  woolen  had  blended  with  that  of 
cotton.  In  1868  Cyrus  I.  Barker,  who  had  been  engaged 
previously  in  the  York  Mills,  in  Saco,  and  with  A. 
Campbell  &  Company,  of  Philadelphia,  was  secured  by 
Mr.  Bates  to  take  charge  of  the  mills.  At  the  beginning 
of  Mr.  Barker's  service,  18,000,000  yards  of  cotton  cloth 
were  annually  put  upon  the  market,  but  a  radical  change 
was  made,  and  ginghams,  fancv  shirtings,  cheviots, 
cottonades,  dress  goods  and  varied  spreads  and  quilts 
were  manufactured.  Special  machinery  was  invented 
and  patented  by  Mr.  Barker  for  the  bleaching  of  quilts, 
and  the  product  of  the  mill  became  a  successful  competi- 
tor of  the  Marseilles  quilt,  which  had  been  made  in 
France.  There  are  also  made  here  dress  goods  which 
were  formerly  manufactured  only  in  Europe.  The 
present  capacity  of  the  mill  is  69,000  spindles  and  1,664 
looms.  The  Androscoggin  Company,  which  was  organ- 
ized in  1860,  with  a  capital  of  $1,000,000,  has  three  large 
mills,  which  turn  out  sheetings,  shirtings  and  sateens, 
and  a  large  number  of  seamless  bags,  used  principally  by 
the  Western  farmers  for  the  transportation  of  grain  to  the 
railroads.  There  are  in  these  mills  61,718  spindles  and 
1,438  looms.  Other  mills  are  the  Hill  Manufacturing 
Company,  organized  in  1853,  with  a  capital  of  $1,000,- 
ooo,  and  a  capacity  of  54,000  spindles  and  1,162  looms; 
the  Lincoln  Mills,  with  a  capital  of  $250,000,  operating 
22,000  spindles  and  436  looms  in  the  manufacture  of 
sheetings  and  shirtings  ;  the  Lewiston  Mills  Company, 
manufacturing  tickings,  denims,  duck,  cottonades,  etc., 


with  a  capacity  of  22,000  spindles  and  588  looms;  and 
the  Avon  Mill,  started  in  1882,  chiefly  for  the  making 
of  quilts. 

At  the  head  of  tide  water  on  the  Saco  River,  in  Maine, 
are  situated  Saco  and  Biddeford,  on  opposite  sides  of  the 
river,  and  in  each  of  these  places  the  manufacture  of 
cotton  goods  is  the  important  industry.  In  1831,  March 
16,  the  York  Manufacturing  Company  was  chartered, 
becoming  the  successor  of  the  Saco  Manufacturing  Com- 
pany, in  Saco.  The  mills  of  the  old  company  had  been 
burned,  and  Samuel  Batchelder,  previously  the  manager 
of  the  Hamilton  Mills  in  Lowell,  made  arrangements 
with  the  owners  of  the  falls  to  rebuild.  The  original 
capital  was  $600,000,  and  this  company  was  organized 
by  Mr.  Batchelder  at  the  solicitation  of  different  Boston 
capitalists  desirous  of  establishing  new  manufacturing 
industries  in  various  places.  The  business  rapidly  devel- 
oped and  five  large  mills  were  finally  erected  where  are 
manufactured  ginghams,  denims,  dress  goods,  cottonades, 
etc.  Here  Mr.  Batchelder  invented  a  stop-motion  for 
the  drawing  frame,  ai.d  it  was  put  in  operation  in  these 
mills  before  a  patent  was  taken  out  in  this  country.  In 
1846,  Mr.  Batchelder  retired  from  the  company,  and  in 
1856,  the  stock  had  become  so  depressed  that  it  sold  for 
about  half  what  it  brought  ten  years  previous.  He  was 
persuaded  to  return  and  take  the  treasurership  which  he 
retained  until  1868,  during  which  time  the  stock  advanced 
from  $600  to  over  $1,200  per  share.  The  capital  is  now 
$900,000,  and  the  capacity  of  the  mills  is  50,000  spindles 
and  1,567  looms.  Later  on,  in  Biddeford.  were  started 
the  Laconia  and  Pepperell  Companies,  the  former  being 
incorporated  in  1845,  with  a  capital  of  $1,000,000,  and 
the  latter  starting  in  1850,  with  a  capital  of  $1,200,000. 
Each  corporation  has  three  large  mills,  manufacturing 
cotton  goods  in  different  varieties  and  the  two  turn  out  a 
million  and  a  half  yards  of  cotton  cloth,  in  the  varied 
widths,  every  four  weeks.  The  Laconia  has  a  capacity 
of  79,000  spindles,  2,226  looms,  and  the  Pepperell  105,- 
ooo  spindles,  2,900  looms.  The  Cabot  Manufacturing 
Company,  in  Brunswick,  is  one  of  the  largest  concerns 
in  the  state,  and  is  engaged  in  the  making  of  light  sheet- 
ings, its  capital  being  $6oc,ooo,  while  its  works  contain 
49,000  spindles  and  1,150  looms.  Other  places  in  Maine 
which  are  engaged  in  the  industry  are  Augusta,  Water- 
ville,  Saccarappa,  Auburn,  Hallowell,  Springvale,  South 
Berwick,  Winthrop  and  Yarmouth.  The  capital  in- 
vested amounts  to  "between  fifteen  and  twenty  millions, 
and  884,722  spindles  were  in  operation  in  1889. 

The  ten  years  from  1820  to  1830,  witnessed  the  estab- 
lishment and  formation  of  many  companies  for  the  devel- 
opment of  the  cotton  industry  in  different  parts  of  New 
England,  and  during  that  period  the  water-privilege  at 
Nashua,  N.  H.,  was  first  made  use  of.  In  1820,  the  idea 
of  building  at  the  falls  at  that  place  suggested  itself  to  some 
capitalists.  In  1822-23,  tney  purchased  a  large  portion  of 
the  lands  in  and  around  the  village  and  at  the  falls,  and  a 
charter  was  obtained  in  June,  1823,  for  the  Nashua 
Manufacturing  Company,  which  was  incorporated  with 
a  capital  of  $1,000,000.  It  has  erected  four  large 
mills  and  has  developed  a  large  business  in  sheetings, 
shirtings,  prints  and  cotton  flannels.  Both  steam  'and 


THE  STATE   HOUSE,   BEACON   HILL,  LOOKING  FROM   THE   COMMON. 


OLD  GRANARY   BURYING  GROUND  AND  TREMONT  STREET, 

LANDMARKS  OF  BOSTON. 


160 


THE  COTTON  CENTENNIAL. 


water-power  are  now  used,  and  the  capacity  of  the  mills 
is  95,984  spindles  and  2,506  looms.  In  May,  1825,  land 
was  purchased  from  the  Nashua  Company  and  mills 
erected  for  the  manufacture  of  woolen  goods,  —  the 
factories  being  called  the  Indian  Head  Mills.  The  enter- 
prise was  not  successful,  and  in  1828,  the  property  was 
sold  to  a  new  company  which  was  incorporated  in  1830, 
under  the  name  of  the  Jackson  Manufacturing  Company, 
with  a  capital  of  $600,000.  The  old  machinery  was 
taken  out  and  cotton  machinery  substituted.  The  two  mills 
contain  at  present  40,448  spindles  and  1,353  l°orns- 
There  was  also  established  in  1868,  the  Vale  Mills  with 
a  capital  of  $100,000  for  the  manufacture  of  sheetings, 
and  their  capacity  is  now  5,000  spindles  and  no  looms. 

The  mills  of  the  Cocheco  Manufacturing  Company,  in 
Dover,  N.  H.,  on  the  Cocheco  River,  have  made  a  great 
change,  since  the  beginning  of  the  industry,  in  the  devel- 
opment and  growth  of  the  place.  The  company  was  incor- 
porated June  17,  1827,  and  succeeded  the  Dover  Manu- 
facturing Company,  whose  works  it  purchased  December 
i,  1829.  The  old  mill  of  this  company  had  been  built 
on  the  upper  falls,  and  was  torn  down  in  1837.  The 
plant  of  the  Cocheco  Company  consists  of  four  large  brick 
mills  on  the  lower  falls  and  here  are  manufactured  the 
well-known  "  Cocheco  Prints."  The  capital  of  the  incor- 
porated company  is  $i  ,500,000.  Steam  and  water-power 
are  employed,  and  the  four  mills  have  a  capacity  of  109,- 
ooo  spindles  and  2,575  looms. 

During  the  years  1821  and  1823,  Isaac  Wendell,  of 
Dover  had  purchased  land  and  privileges  on  both  sides  of 
the  Salmon  Falls  River,  with  a  view  of  establishing 
cotton  factories  on  the  stream,  and  at  Somersworth,N.  H., 
now  Great  Falls,  he  had  begun  the  erection  of  stores, 
boarding  houses  and  work  shops  when  the  Great  Falls 
Manufacturing  Company  was  formed  in  1823.  The  ser- 
vices of  Mr.  Wendell  were  engaged  as  resident  agent, 
and  both  cotton  and  woolen  goods  were  manufactured. 
Prior  to  1835,  broadcloths  and  carpets  were  made,  and  at 
one  time  the  mill  produced  the  largest  amount  of  these 
goods  in  the  United  States.  The  fabrics  were  fine  and 
compared  favorably  with  imported  goods,  but  the  manu- 
facture was  not  profitable  and  the  mills  were  equipped 
entirely  with  cotton  machinery.  The  appointment  in 
1844  of  Patrick  Tracy  Jackson  as  treasurer,  resulted  in 
doubling  the  capacity  of  the  looms  of  this  company,  and 
added  greatly  to  its  prosperity.  There  are  seven  large 
mills,  manufacturing  cotton  goods  in  great  variety,  giving 
employment  to  nearly  two  thousand  operatives.  The 
capacity  is  129,000  spindles,  3,000  looms,  and  the  com- 
pany is  capitalized  at  $1,500,000. 

Other  places  within  the  bounds  of  New  Hampshire  in 
which  the  cotton  manufacture  is  at  present  carried  on  to  a 
considerable  extent  are:  Suncook,  where  there  are  three 
companies  operating  93,000  spindles ;  Salmon  Falls* 
where  the  manufacturing  company  of  the  same  name 
started  business  in  1822,  and  now  has  large  mills  con- 
taining 60,000  spindles  and  1,300  looms;  Newmarket, 
the  home  of  the  Newmarket  Manufacturing  Company, 
dating  back  to  1823,  which  now  runs  53,352  spindles  and 
1,400  looms,  and  makes  fine  cottons;  and  Greenville, 
Hooksett,  Penacook,  Exeter,  Claremont,  Peterborough 


and  Pittsfield,  all  of  which  have  good-sized  factories.  A 
small  amount  of  manufacturing  is  also  done  in  the 
villages  of  Belmont,  East  JafFrey,  Lake  Village,  Wilton, 
Ashuelot,  Milford  and  New  Ipswich.  At  this  latter 
place  the  first  spinning  mill  in  the  state,  and  one  of  the 
first  in  the  country  was  started  in  1804,  and  a  second  one 
was  put  in  operation  in  1807.  The  total  number  of  cotton 
spindles  running  in  New  Hampshire  in  1889  was  1,180,- 
648  and  the  capital  invested  was  over  $20,000,000. 

The  mills  in  the  state  of  Connecticut  are  similarly 
located  to  those  in  Rhode  Island,  that  is,  in  towns  and 
villages  on  the  various  rivers.  There  are  no  places  that 
are  as  conspicuously  prominent  as  Lowell,  Lawrence, 
Fall  River  and  New  Bedford  in  Massachusetts,  Prov- 
idence, Pawtucket  and  Woonsocket  in  Rhode  Island, 
Manchester  in  New  Hampshire,  or  Lewiston  in  Maine. 
The  great  bulk  of  the  manufacturing  is  carried  on  along 
the  banks  of  the  rivers  that  unite  with  the  tidal  waters  of 
the  Thames  at  Norwich — the  Shetucket.  the  Yantic, 
the  Quinebaug  and  other  tributaries.  Norwich  and  Wil- 
limantic  are  the  most  important  places  in  this  district. 
The  chief  concerns  at  Norwich  are  the  Ponemah  Mill 
(Taftville),  operating  117,000  spindles  and  2,800  looms, 
the  Shetucket  Company  (Greenville),  the  Falls  Com- 
pany (Norwich  Falls),  and  the  Totokett  Mills  ^Taft- 
ville.) There  is  also  considerable  woolen  manufacturing 
carried  on  in  Norwich.  Willimantic  has  three  large 
concerns  engaged  in  the  cotton  industry,  the  Smithville 
Manufacturing  Company,  the  Windham  Cotton  Manu- 
facturing Company,  and  the  Willimantic  Linen  Com- 
pany, which  operates  100,000  spindles,  and  is  well- 
known  as  one  of  the  leading  manufacturers  of  spool 
cotton  in  the  world.  Other  important  places  in  these 
valleys  are  Jewett  City,  Danielsonville,  Putnam  and 
Grosvenor  Dale,  while  in  a  second  class  are  Central  Vil- 
lage, Moosup,  Wauregan,  Johnstown,  Griswokl,  Wil- 
mington, Woodstock,  Killingly  and  East  Killingly, 
Ballouville,  Glasgo,  where  the  works  of  the  Glasgo  Yarn 
Company  are  located,  and  a  number  of  other  places. 
Providence  is  the  business  centre  for  many  of  the  mills 
in  this  region,  particularly  those  in  the  Quinebaug  valley. 
Many  of  the  mill  offices  are  located  at  Norwich,  which 
by  its  position  is  a  local  headquarters. 

Jewett  City  was  one  of  the  first  places  in  Connecticut 
at  which  the  cotton  manufacture  was  begun.  During  the 
middle  years  of  the  last  century,  the  land  in  the  neigh- 
hood  and  the  water-privilege  was  owned  by  Elezer 
Jewett,  who  operated  a  saw  mill,  a  grist  mill  and  a  full- 
ing mill,  and  he  sold  a  portion  of  the  privilege  to  John 
Wilson,  in  1781.  A  cotton  mill  was  erected  here  in 
iSioby  the  Jewett  City  Cotton  Manufacturing  Company, 
composed  of  John  Wilson,  John  W.  Tibbetts,  L.  F. 
Tibbetts  and  four  others,  and  the  company  bought  out 
the  Barstow,  the  Rose  and  the  old  Jewett  water-privilege, 
all  that  existed  and  were  in  use  in  the  neighborhood. 
This  enterprise  was  not  a  pronounced  success.  In  1823 
the  mill  was  bought  by  Samuel  and  John  Slater,  for  the 
sum  of  $17,100.  They  immediately  greatly  improved 
the  property,  building  a  new  and  substantial  dam,  twenty 
feet  in  height,  and  conducted  the  manufacture  with  great 
success.  In  1825,  John  Slater  bought  on  his  own 


THE  COTTON  MANUFACTURE  IN  NEW  ENGLAND. 


161 


account  the  woolen  mill  property  on  the  Pachaug  River,      one  of  the  foremost  institutions  of  learning  in  the  country. 


three  miles  above  Jewett  City,  increased  the  capacity  of 
the  works,  made  the  business  profitable  and  named  the 
place  Hopeville.  He  also  bought  out  the  interest  of  his 
brother  Samuel  in  the  Jewett  City  property  in  1831,  and 
committed  the  management  to  his  son,  John  F.,  while 
he  himself  continued  to  live  in  Slatersville,  R.  I.  John 
Slater  died  May  27,  1843.  His  sons,  John  F.  and  Wil- 
liam S.  continued  to  run  the  various  mills  at  Slatersville, 
Jewett  City  and  Hopeville  under  the  style  of  J.  &  W. 
Slater.  In  March,  1845,  they  sold  the  Hopeville  property, 
and  in  1849  purchased  the  interest  of  Samuel  Slater's 
heirs  in  the  Slatersville  estate.  In  1872  the  property  was 
divided,  John  F.,  who  resided  at  Norwich,  Conn.,  taking 
the  mills  at  Jewett  City,  and  William  S.  those  at  Slaters- 
ville. John  F.  Slater  a  few  years  before  his  death  estab- 
lished a  fund  of  $1,000,000  for  the  education  of  the  freed- 
men  in  the  South.  His  son,  W.  A.  Slater,  has  within  a 
few  years  presented  the  city  of  Norwich  with  an  art 
museum,  named  the  Slater  Memorial  Hall,  and  his  bene- 
factions to  Jewett  City  and  Norwich  amount  to  about 
half  a  million  dollars. 

Among  the  most  important  places  engaged  in  the  manu- 
facture in  other  regions  of  Connecticut,  are  Middletown, 
New  Hartford,  Birmingham,  Manchester,  Ansonia, 
Bridgeport,  Moodus,  New  Haven,  New  London,  Rock- 
ville,  Tolland,  Waterbury  and  Windsor  Locks.  At 
Middletown  the  extensive  works  of  the  Russell  Manu- 
facturing Company,  manufacturers  of  webbing,  belting, 

hose  and  narrow  fabrics, 
are  situated,  and  here  also 
is  Wesleyan  University, 


THE  DYE-ROOM,  WILLIMANTIC  LINEN  COMPANY. 


The  total  number  of  spindles  in  operation  in  Connecticut 
is  considerably  over  a  million  while  the  capital  invested 
is  more  than  $20,000,000. 

The  number  of  cotton  spindles  operated  in  Vermont 
only  amounts  to  62,775,  the  most  extensive  mills  being 
those  at  Burlington,  with  24,500  spindles.  There  are 
also  fair-sized  factories  at  North  Pownal  and  North  Ben- 
nington,  and  small  mills  at  Springfield,  Perkinsville  and 

Windsor. 

***** 

In  the  next  few  pages  will  be  found  detailed  and  accu- 
rate accounts  of  a  number  of  the  specially  interesting 
industrial  establishments  in  various  parts  of  New  Eng- 
land. 

***** 

The  large  and  extensive  plant  of  the  Willimantic  Linen 
Company,  in  Willimantic,  Conn.,  is  not  only  a  very 
important  industry  in  that  town  and  state,  but  it  repre- 
sents the  successful  competition,  from  the  beginning  of 
the  manufacture  of  its  thread,  of  American  spool  cotton 
with  that  made  in  England  and  Scotland.  The  Willi- 
mantic Company  was  the  first  to  disprove  the  theory 
which  was  advanced  in  England  and  accepted  in  a  large 
degree  here,  that  the  best  cotton  thread  could  not  be 
made  in  America,  and  that  the  atmospheric  conditions 
were  unfavorable.  To-day  nearly  all  the  thread  used, 
either  for  domestic  or  manufacturing  purposes,  is  not 
only  made  at  home,  but  is  superior  to  the  foreign  make  ; 
and  in  the  accomplishment  of  this  gratifying  result,  the 
Willimantic  Company  was  the  pioneer.  It  was  the  first 
to  make  all  numbers  of  six-cord  thread  for  the  use  of  the 
sewing  machine  from  the  raw  material ;  its  methods  have 
been  largely  followed  by  other  manufacturers,  and  it  is 
now  the  most  extensive  company  of  thread  makers  in 
America. 

All  this  was  not  done  without  persistent  devo- 
tion to  a  fixed  purpose,  to  demonstrate  the  possi- 
bilities of  American  industry  and 
American  manufactures,  and  the 
overcoming  of  many  obstacles.  The 
English  people  had  the  advantage  of 
cheap  labor  and  precedence  in  the 
market,  and  after  the  Willimantic 
Company  had  made  a  thread  for 
domestic  use  which  was  heartily 
endorsed  by  sewing  machine  people, 
it  was  not  easy  for  the  retail  stores, 
at  first,  to  place  the  cotton  in  the 
families,  so  great  was  the  prejudice 
in  favor  of  the  foreign  production. 
But  to-day  it  is  universally  admitted 
that  there  is  no  thread  in  the  market 
superior  to  that  of  the  Willimantic  ; 
it  is  known  everywhere,  and  recog- 
nized, also,  as  a  distinctively  Ameri- 
can production.  It  is  made  on  Ameri- 
can soil  and  by  American  labor, 
and  the  company  was  organized, 
built  up  and  controlled  by  American 
citizens,  without  the  aid  of  foreign 
capital  or  assistance. 


162 


THE   COTTON   CENTENNIAL. 


THREAD  MAKER'S   HOME    AT   WILLIMANTIC. 


The  Willimantic 
Linen  Company  was 
organized  in  1854,  by 
Austin  Dunham,  who 
had  as  partners  in  the 
enterprise  Lawson  C. 
Ives,  Elisha  Johnson 
and  Lucius  Barbour. 
Mr.  Ives  was  senior  partner  of  the  firm  of  Ives,  Hooker 
&  Company,  Mr.  Johnson  had  been  warden  of  the 
state  prison  at  Weathersfield  and  had  considerable 
executive  experience,  and  Mr.  Barbour  had  capital. 
Mr.  Ives  was  president  and  treasurer  and  the  official  head 
of  the  corporation,  but  his  experience  had  been  largely 
mercantile,  so  that  the  personal  supervision  of  details 
devolved  upon  Mr.  Dunham,  whose  active  experience  of 
forty  years  in  manufacturing  industries  amply  qualified 
him  for  this  work.  He  was  a  native  of  Mansfield,  Conn., 
and  at  the  early  age  of  20  years  was  appointed  agent  of 
the  Coventry  Manufacturing  Company,  in  Coventry, 
Conn.  Remaining  herenineyears,  he  came  to  Hartford, 
and  became  a  partner  in  the  firm  of  Peck,  White  & 
Company,  afterwards  conducting  the  business,  the  whole- 
sale traffic  in  general  merchandise  and  cotton,  in  his  own 
name.  The  Willimantic  Company  was  originally  or- 
ganized for  the  manufacture  of  linen  goods,  such  as  crash, 
toweling  and  shoe  thread.  By  the  failure  of  the  supply 
of  flax  from  Southern  Russia,  owing  to  the  Crimean 
War,  in  1854-55,  this  enterprise  was  interrupted,  and  the 
attention  of  the  company  was  directed  to  the  manufac- 
ture of  spool  cotton. 

The  first  product  of  the  mills  was  a  three-cord,  glazed 
cotton,  number  60  and  below.  The  business  was  profit- 
able and  developed  so  that  the  capital  stock  was  increased 
to  $1,000,000.  In  1865,  the  attention  of  the  company 
was  directed  to  the  production  of  higher  numbers,  which 


had  not  previously  been  spun  in  this  country. 
Here,  again,  Mr.  Dunham  was  met  by  the 
assertion  that  the  atmosphere  of  Great  Brit- 
ain was  essential  to  the  spinning  of  fine  num- 
bers. He  disproved  this  theory  in  the  works 
of  the  Willimantic  Linen  Company,  not  by 
imitating  the  atmosphere  of  England  and 
Scotland,  but  by  the  creation  of  an  original 
atmosphere.  The  air  is  kept  at  an  even 
temperature  in  each  room  by  steam  heat,  and 
by  the  use  of  an  American  invention  moisture 
is  introduced  in  an  atomized  form,  so  that  the 
proper  humidity  of  the  atmosphere  is  main- 
tained. Spool  cotton  has  been  made  as  high 
as  200,  and  even  higher  than  that  for  experi- 
mental purposes.  The  Willimantic  Company 
has  always  made  these  numbers  from  the  raw 
cotton  direct :  at  the  outset  it  was  the  only 
thread  manufactory  that  did  so  —  other  mills 
using  the  fine  yarn  that  had  been  imported  — 
but  the  lead  of  this  company  was  speedily 
followed  by  its  rivals. 

The  first  important  step  towards  large 
recognition  came  at  the  Centennial  Expo- 
sition at  Philadelphia.  Here  among  all 
the  varied  industries  emblematical  of  the  prosperity 
of  this  country,  the  exhibition  made  by  the  Willimantic 
Linen  Company  carried  off  the  highest  honors.  At 
later  exhibitions  similar  results  have  been  obtained, 
and  the  cabinet  of  medals  already  secured  is  in  itself  an 
interesting  exhibit.  The  four  granite  mills  that  were 
earliest  erected  by  this  company  are  picturesquely  set  on 
the  north  bank  of  the  river  that  runs  through  the  town  of 
Willimantic,  and  are  very  near  its  centre.  They  extend 
over  a  space  of  three-quarters  of  a  mile,  and  the  stone 
of  which  they  are  built  was  quarried  out  of  the  ground 
where  they  stand.  But  the  acme  of  development  is 
found  in  the  new  mill,  called  No.  4,  which  was  erected 
in  1881.  This  is  a  single  story  building,  820  feet  long 
and  174  feet  wide,  acknowledged  to  be  the  model  cotton 
mill  in  the  world.  Here  every  thing  that  can  contribute 
to  the  best  results  in  the  manufacture  of  the  thread,  and 
the  comfort  and  health  of  the  employes,  has  been  pro- 
vided for.  The  three  engines  are  set  in  the  basement, 
the  entire  machinery  for  making  the  thread  is  on  a  single 
floor,  moved  by  belts  which  come  up  from  the  shaft 
below,  out  of  sight  and  out  of  the  way,  and  windows 
comprise  a  large  part  of  the  walls  and  roof,  so  that  light 
and  ventilation  are  perfect.  Plants  grow  on  the  window- 
sills,  giving  to  the  room  not  only  an  aesthetic  appearance, 
but  supplying  the  atmosphere  with  a  moisture  that  must, 
in  other  mills,  be  artificially  produced.  In  this  mill,  par- 
ticularly, neatness  and  system  everywhere  prevail —  the 
employes  wear  white  aprons  at  their  work,  and  each 
person  is  assigned  a  place  in  one  of  the  large  cloak  rooms 
where  she  hangs  her  cloak  and  hat  on  entering,  and  her 
mill  apron  on  leaving  the  mill.  Throughout  all  the  mills 
there  is  the  same  care  manifested  for  the  welfare  of  the 
laborers,  a  large  number  of  light  and  cheerful  dwellings 
have  been  built  at  the  rear  of  the  large  mill,  for  occupa- 
tion by  the  employes,  and  the  result  is  a  thrifty  settlement 


THE   COTTON   MANUFACTURE   IN  NEW   ENGLAND. 


163 


—  a  credit  to  the  company  and  to  the  town  of  Williman- 
tic.  Recognizing  the  need  of  intelligence  in  the  employes, 
a  free  school  was  at  first  opened  by  the  company,  and 
after  giving  due  notice,  it  was  announced  that  no  person 
unable  to  read  and  write  would  be  given  employment. 
Thus  the  company  not  only  secures  intelligent  employes, 
but  compels  them  to  lay  the  foundation  for  useful  and 
honorable  lives.  The  company  has  also 
established  a  free  reading  room  and  a  library 
of  over  two  thousand  volumes,  whose  privi- 
leges the  operatives  enjoy  and  appreciate. 

Sea  Island  cotton  is  used  entirely  in  the 
manufacture  of  Willimantic  thread.  This 
staple  is  much  finer  and  longer  than  the  cot- 
ton in  Georgia  or  Texas,  and  can  be  raised 
only  on  the  Carolina  coast  islands.  Its  sup- 
ply is  limited,  and  it  is  more  expensive  than 
other  cotton,  and  to  this  fact,  and  the  care 
exercised  in  the  production,  is  due  the  superi- 
ority of  the  Willimantic  cotton.  Tests  are 
made  in  the  dif- 
ferent processes 
before  the 
thread  is  com- 
pleted,  and 
every  effort  is 
made  to  make 
the  strand  of 
yarn  so  uniform 
that  any  num- 
ber of  yards 
taken  at  ran- 
dom will  be  ex- 
actly alike  in 
size  and  weight. 
After  the  thread 
is  made,  each 
skein  is  care- 
fully inspected, 
independent  of 
all  the  previous 
tests  that  have 
been  made,  and 
if  the  slightest 
flaw  is  discov- 
ered it  is  thrown 
out.  Passing 
this  scrutiny 
the  thread  is 
washed  and 
bleached  or 
dyed.  This 
and  the  drying 
having  been  accomplished,  it  is  ready  for  spooling. 
Here  automatic  machinery  is  used  wherever  it  is  possi 
ble.  The  winding  machine  which  puts  the  warranted 
number  of  yards  upon  each  spool  is  automatic  ;  so  also 
is  the  machine  for  labeling  the  spools.  One  girl  sup- 
plies the  machine  with  the  printed  labels,  while  another 
feeds  it  with  spools  ;  it  does  all  the  rest  for  itself  and  at  a 
speed  of  one  hundred  spools  per  minute.  The  spools 


for  this  thread  are  made  in  Piscataquis  County,  Maine, 
where  the  company  has  erected  a  saw  mill,  blocking  and 
spooling  mill,  dry-houses,  store  and  dwellings,  and  has 
created  a  junior  Willimantic  whose  post-office  is  in  the 
company's  own  store.  Five  thousand  cords  of  birch  are 
used  each  year  for  the  spools,  by  a  machine  which 
,  makes  spools  of 

every  size  and 
kind  desired. 
Here,  also,  are 
made  the  pack- 
ing boxes,  for 
which  over  a 
million  feet  of 
pine  and  poplar 
are  required. 
Large  quanti- 
ties  of  the 
thread,  for  man- 
ufacturing as 

O 

well  as  domes- 
tic purposes,  are 
put  up  on  spools 
exceeding  the 
original  two 
hundred  yard 
size,  and  over 
two  thousand 
operatives  are 
given  employ- 
ment in  the 
mills  at  Willi- 
mantic. 


The  Pair- 
point  Manufact- 
uring Company 
is  one  of  the 
industries  estab- 
lished within  a 
decade  which 
has  contributed 
largely  to  the 
present  pros- 

pCHty      of     NeW 
Bedford.          ItS 


THE  WILLIMANTIC  LINEN  CO.'S  BUILDING. 

I,    DUNHAM    HALL,    (THE    LIBRARY);    2,  TO   THE    LIBRARY; 
4,    DECORATIVE   ART. 


business,    the 

manufacture  of  silver  plated  ware,  began  in  1880  in  a 
small  building  1  20  x  40,  on  the  site  of  the  present  loca- 
tion. A  building  116x30,  three  stories  high,  followed  ; 
later  a  four-story  building  338  feet  long,  and  during  the 
past  year  another  building  has  been  erected,  this  also 
being  four  stories  high,  for  the  purpose  of  obtaining 
larger  facilities  for  the  manufacture  of  its  flat  ware. 

The  manufactory  of  the  company  is  situated  on  the 
east  side  of  Prospect  Street,  south  of  Rowland,  and  the 
goods  manufactured  are  silver  plated  articles  of  all  kinds, 
for  household  use,  as  well  as  for  ornament,  including 
knives,  forks  and  spoons,  pitchers,  casters,  cake  baskets, 
jewel  cases,  and  the  almost  endless  variety  of  table  ware 
for  use  in  the  family.  The  demand  for  such  goods  has 


164 


THE  COTTON  CENTENNIAL 


LUCIUS  BRIGGS, 

MANAGER  QLASQO  LACE  THREAD  COMPANY. 

increased  largely  within  a  few  years,  the  novel  and  unique 
designs  and  superior  quality  and  finish  making  them  very 
marketable.  There  are  older  establishments  in  this  branch 
of  industry,  but  the  Pairpoint  Company  yields  to  none  of 
these  in  the  quality  of  goods  or  variety  of  styles  manu- 
factured. Having  been  established  within  ten  years,  the 
company  has  been  enabled  to  fit  up  its  works  with  the 
latest  improvements  in  machinery  for  the  different  pro- 
cesses in  the  manufacture  of  its  silver  ware,  its  facilities 
are  second  to  none  in  the  country,  and  there  is  scarcely 
an  inch  of  unoccupied  space  in  the  factory.  Goods  are 
sold  in  all  parts  of  the  world,  and  the  packing  room  has 
been,  the  past  year,  the  busiest  corner  of  the  establish- 
ment. A  large  stock  of  goods  is  carried  in  a  branch 
house  in  Chicago,  as  well-  as  in  San  Francisco,  and  a 
fine  line  of  samples  is  shown  at  Sidney,  Australia. 

Skilled  and  competent  workmen  are  required  in  this 
industry.  The  metal  which  forms  the  basis  for  the  silver 
ware  is  mixed  and  made  in  the  establishment,  and  is 
composed  largely  of  antimony  and  tin.  After  being 
rolled  into  sheets  it  is  pressed  into  different  forms  and 
these  are  embossed  or  stamped  by  hydraulic  presses, 
the  largest  of  which  has  a  pressure  of  663  tons  to  the 
square  inch,  and  another  350  tons.  Most  of  the  shapes 
required  are  formed  by  the  use  of  dies,  which  are  made 
here,  and  the  aid  of  these  hydraulic  presses.  The  differ- 
ent parts  of  the  ware  are  soldered  together,  and  the  use 
of  the  lathe  is  required  for  the  shaping  of  many  of  the 
forms.  New  designs  are  being  constantly  added,  some 
of  them  requiring  new  machinery.  One  such  for  the 


making  of  the  cap  for  a  pepper  box  has  recently  been 
patented  by  this  firm.  The  plating  of  the  metal  base,  in 
which  five  electric  dynamos  are  brought  into  use,  and 
the  polishing,  burnishing  and  designing  is  done  by  dif- 
ferent workmen,  the  process  being  long  and  intricate  be- 
fore the  product  is  in  the  beautiful  and  artistic  shape  in 
which  it  is  placed  on  the  counters  of  our  large  retail 
stores.  The  company  has  a  machine  shop  of  its  own, 
where  the  dies  are  manufactured  and  where  repairs  are 
made.  The  engraving  room  is  one  of  the  largest  in  the 
buildings — at  an  elevation  where  there  is  a  view  of  one 
of  the  finest  harbors  on  that  coast,  and  lately  this  room 
has  been  taxed  to  its  utmost  capacity.  The  company 
carries  a  large  stock  of  imported  glass  ware,  used  in  con- 
nection with  the  silver  plate  for  the  completion  of  many 
of.  the  articles  manufactured,  and  the  plush  boxes  in 
which  are  placed  many  of  the  fancy  articles  for  the  holi- 
day trade  are  made  in  the  establishment.  A  large  steam 
plant  furnishes  power  ;  about  four  hundred  people  find  em- 
ployment, a  small  proportion  of  whom  are  females.  The 
officers  of  the  company  are  Edward  D.  Mandell,  presi- 
dent, and  Thomas  A.  Tripp,  treasurer  and  general  manager. 
*  *  *  *  # 

Lucius  Briggs,  who  is  the  present  manager  and  half 
owner  in  the  Glasgo  Yarn  Company,  of  Glasgo,  Conn., 
has  been  connected  with  that  company  since  1883.  Yet 
this  does  not  represent  Mr.  Briggs'  life  of  usefulness, 
which  was  directly  connected  with  the  development  of 
one  of  the  largest  manufacturing  establishments  in  Con- 
necticut—  the  Grosvenor-Dale  Company.  He  was  the 
author  of  all  the  plans  for  the  enlargement  and  improve- 
ment of  the  property  of  this  company,  purchasing  all  the 
machinery  and  materials  and  making  the  contracts  for  the 
erection  of  the  mills,  warehouses  and  tenements.  His 
entire  time  was  devoted  to  the  conduct  of  the  business 
and  the  development  of  the  property. 

Mr.  Briggs  was  born  in  Coventry,  R.  I.,  December 
21,  1825.  As  soon  as  his  age  permitted,  he  was  sent  to 
the  mill  where  he  remained  until  his  nineteenth  year, 
becoming  familiar  with  all  the  details  of  cotton  manu- 
facture. He  then  served  a  two  years'  apprenticeship  in 
building  cotton  machinery,  after  which,  during  the  two 
following  years,  he  did  the  most  of  the  repairing  in  Gov- 
ernor Harris*  Mill.  In  1849,  during  the  gold  fever,  Mr. 
Briggs  and  his  brother  went  to  California,  returning  after 
two  years,  when  he  was  engaged  by  the  Masonville  Com- 
pany in  Masonville,  Thompson,  Conn.,  to  repair  the 
machinery  in  the  lower  or  wooden  mill  belonging  to  the 
company.  Mr.  Briggs  anticipated  only  temporary  em- 
ployment ;  but  he  and  his  employers  were  mutually 
pleased,  so  much  so  that  he  remained  to  take  permanent 
charge  of  the  repairs  in  the  different  mills  of  the  company. 
A  year  later  he  was  made  superintendent  and  local  agent 
of  the  company's  interests  and  business  in  the  village. 
At  that  time  William  Mason,  of  Thompson,  owned  a 
majority  interest  in  the  mills,  and  William  Grosvenor, 
who  had  married  a  niece  of  Mr.  Mason,  was  agent.  In 
less  than  a  year  Dr.  Grosvenor  had  purchased  Mr.  Mason's 
interest,  and  with  his  sons  soon  controlled  the  entire  prop- 
erty excepting  one-sixteenth,  which  had  been  previously 
purchased  by  Mr.  Briggs. 


THE  COTTON    MANUFACTURE   IN    NEW  ENGLAND. 


165 


After  Dr.  Grosvenor  had  taken  possession  of  this  prop- 
erty, immediate  steps  were  taken  for  the  improvement 
of  the  property,  as  rapidly  as  prudence  dictated.  The 
mills  and  machinery,  with  an  exception  here  and  there, 
were  behind  the  times.  Two  upper  mills  belonging  to 
the  company  were  made  into  one  ;  and  the  wooden  mill 
at  the  lower  falls  was  made  into  tenements — giving  place 
to  a  new  brick  structure  of  20,000  spindles.  In  1864,  the 
mill  and  privilege  at  Fisherville,  a  short  distance  above 
Masonville,  were  purchased  by  Messrs.  Grosvenor  and 
Briggs,  and  its  development  begun.  Further  rights  were 
secured,  the  fall  of  water  increased  and  a  factory  capable 
of  holding  60,000  spindles  erected.  This  mill  was  put 
in  operation  in  1872,  making  the  whole  number  of 
spindles  belonging  to  the  company  96,000.  Mr.  Briggs 
was  the  sole  author  of  all  the  plans  for  these  improve- 
ments and  personally  superintended  the  carrying  of 
them  out,  and  to  his  good  judgment  and  knowledge 
of  the  needs  of  the  business  was  due  a  large  share 
of  the  success  of  the  company.  So  intense  was  his  appli- 
cation to  the  business  that,  in  1876,  his  physician  ordered 
him  abroad  and  in  company  with  his  daughter  he  spent 
some  months  in  travel.  On  his  return  he  remained  with 
the  Grosvenor-Dale  Company  until  1883,  when  incorpora- 
tion seemed  advisable.  Mr.  Briggs  did  not  desire  to  join 
the  corporation,  and  an  amicable  arrangement  between 
the  Grosvenors  and  Mr.  Briggs  was  arrived  at,  and  Mr. 
Briggs'  interest  was  transferred. 

In  accordance  with  the  tendency  of  New  England 
manufacturers  to  diversify  the  product,  and  the  natural 
tendency  of  the  mind  of  Mr.  Briggs, he  patented,  in  1888, 
a  new  style  of  thread,  and  this  is  being  manufactured  by 
the  Glasgo  Yarn  Company,  of  which  Mr.  Briggs  is  the 
largest  owner,  and  with  which  he  became  connected  after 
the  incorporation  of  the  Grosvenor-Dale  Company.  It 
is  designed  for  crocheting,  knitting  and  all  kinds  of  fancy 
work.  It  has  peculiarities  in  the  combination  of  thread 
and  twist  which  make  the  name  by  which  it  is  known, 
"  Glasgo  Twilled  Lace  Thread,"  peculiarly  applicable. 
The  twilled  or  beady  appearance  of  the  thread  is  com- 
municated to  the  lace  made  from  it  to  such  an  extent  that 
it  may  be  truly  claimed  that  it  is  the  only  real  lace 
thread  manufactured.  It  is  made  in  all  numbers  from 
twenty  to  one  hundred  and  its  use  is  rapidly  extending. 

In  addition  to  his  connection  with  the  Glasgo  Yarn 
Company,  Mr.  Briggs  is  a  director  in  the  Norwich 
Bleach  and  Dye  Works  and  in  the  Glasgo  Thread  Com- 
pany of  Worcester,  Mass.  He  is  also  a  large  stock- 
holder in  the  Ponemah  Mills,  near  Norwich.  He  has 
represented  his  state  in  both  the  Senate  and  House  of 
Representatives,  and  for  some  years  before  leaving 
Grosvenor-Dale  Mr.  Briggs  was  president  of  the  Sav- 
ings Bank  in  Thompson. 

***** 

The  large  and  prosperous  manufacturing  establishment 
of  the  Russell  Manufacturing  Company,  in  Middletown, 
Conn.,  is  a  conspicuous  example  of  a  growth  from  unsatis- 
factory beginnings  to  a  basis  of  solid  commercial  stability, 
a  condition  that  has  contributed  as  much  to  the  pros- 
perity of  Middletown  as  to  the  reputation  of  the  company 
itself.  This  remarkable  success  is  due  to  the  persever- 


ance and  great  administrative  abilities  of  Hon.  Henry 
G.  Hubbard,  who  assumed  the  management  when  the 
original  company  was  practically  insolvent,  and  by  his 
energy  and  long  continued  devotion  to  the  interests  of 
the  business,  has  brought  the  industry  to  its  present  con- 
dition—  where  in  certain  lines  it  has  no  competition,  in 
any  country,  worthy  the  name.  When  the  company  was 
organized  in  1834,  tne  plant  of  the  corporation  was  con- 
fined to  a  building  80x30,  three  stories  high,  and  the 
only  product  of  the  works  was  non-elastic  web  and  sus- 
penders. To-day  there  are  seven  large  mills  in  active 
operation  at  South  Farms,  in  Middletown,  and  vicinity — 
three  devoted  to  spinning  and  four  to  weaving.  Elastic 
and  non-elastic  webbing  is  woven  in  almost  every  variety 
and  pattern  and  the  products  of  the  mills  comprise  cotton 
yarn,  girth,  rein,  halter  slipper  and  match  webs,  web 
halters  and  surcingles,  seamless  cotton  and  woolen  hose, 
for  fire  engines  and  mill  purposes,  patent  cotton  belting 
and  cotton  back-banding,  elastic  webs  and  suspenders, 
cotton  boot,  gaiter  and  stay  webs,  cotton  and  worsted 
blanket  binding,  spindle  banding,  tennis  and  base  ball 
belting  in  silk,  cotton  and  worsted,  and  a  variety  of  other 
articles.  The  manufacture  of  silk  ribbons  has  also  recently 
been  begun,  and  it  promises  to  be  an  important  branch 
of  the  industry. 

In  1834  the  Russell  Manufacturing  Company  was 
organized,  Hon.  Samuel  D.  Hubbard,  an  uncle  of  the 
present  president,  and  Samuel  Russell  controlling  nine- 
tenths  of  the  stock.  Mr.  Hubbard  owned  the  water- 


HENRY  G.  HUBBARD, 


PRESIDENT    RUSSELL    MANUFACTURING   COMPANY. 


THE  COTTON   CENTENNIAL 


WORKS  OF  THE  RUSSELL  MANUFACTURING  COMPANY,  MIDDLETOWN,  CONN. 


privilege  and  Mr.  Russell  erected  the  building,  and  here 
was  put  the  machinery  and  material  taken  in  settlement  of 
the  insolvent  estate  of  Spaulding  &  Collis,  who  had  been 
manufacturing  non-elastic  web  and  suspenders  on  a  small 
scale,  and  unsuccessfully,  as  it  proved.  After  the  business 
had  been  carried  on  a  short  time,  and  the  company  found 
itself  $20,000  in  debt,  a  proposition  was  made  to  Mr." 
Henry  G.  Hubbard,  then  a  young  man  who  had  just 
attained  his  majority,  to  take  the  management  of  the 
affairs.  Mr.  Hubbard  was  born  in  Middletown,  October 
8,  1814,  and  after  an  education  which  included  one  year 
in  Wesleyan  University,  and  an  experience  of  a  few 
years  in  a  commission  establishment,  he  went  into  part- 
nership, at  the  age  of  19,  with  Jesse  G.  Baldwin  as  manu- 
facturers and  dealers  in  fancy  and  dry  goods.  This  con- 
tinued for  two  years,  when  he  went  to  Chicago  for  a  few 
weeks,  returned  to  Middletown  and  took  the  position  as 
manager  of  the  Russell  Manufacturing  Company,  Jan- 
uary 23,  1837.  Just  Pr'or  to  this,  Mr.  Hubbard's  father 
had  purchased  a  note  of  Samuel  Russell,  given  without 
consideration,  and  which  the  latter  objected  to,  but 
offered  to  give  the  elder  Mr.  Hubbard  stock  in  the  Rus- 
sell company  to  that  amount,  and  this  was  accepted. 
After  Mr.  Hubbard  had  assumed  the  management  of  the 
company  he  purchased  this  stock  of  his  father,  so  great 
was  his  faith  in  the  future  prospects  of  the  plant.  That 
year  a  great  financial  revulsion  took  place,  and  the  young 
manager  improved  the  opportunity  afforded  by  a  light 
business  to  master  all  the  details  of  the  manufacturing. 
At  that  time  the  company  employed  only  thirty-five 
operatives  and  had  twelve  looms  at  work.  In  1841,  Mr. 
Hubbard  resolved  to  begin  the  manufacture  of  elastic  sus- 
penders, and  elastic  webs.  He  ascertained  that  a  Scotch- 


man named  George  Eliot,  was  employed  in  a  factory  in 
New  Britain,  making  elastic  webs  on  a  hand-loom,  a 
single  strip  at  a  time.  Thither  Mr.  Hubbard  went  — 
purchased  the  property  and  employed  Eliot  —  and  at  once 
set  about  improving  the  methods,  substituting  heated 
calender  rolls  for  hot  flat-irons  to  contract  the  web,  and 
succeeded  in  the  weaving  of  this  web  on  power-looms. 
The  business  was  placed  on  a  firm  basis,  and  in  the  manu- 
facture of  elastic  webs  and  suspenders  Mr.  Hubbard  was 
certainly  the  pioneer  in  this  country.  New  improve- 
ments have  been  constantly  introduced  into  the  factory. 
In  1850,  Lewis  Hope  came  from  England  to  Paterson, 
N.  J.,  and  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  India  rubber 
thread.  Mr.  Hubbard  examined  the  machinery,  saw 
that  it  was  adapted  to  produce  superior  thread  at  less 
cost  than  his  own  and  utilize  the  clippings  at  the  same 
time.  He  therefore  purchased  the  machinery,  removed 
it  to  Middletown  and  engaged  the  services  of  Hope,  and 
his  operatives.  In  this  way,  and  by  his  own  inventions,  he 
has  kept  pace  with  every  improvement,  and  while  the 
manufacture  of  elastic  suspenders  is  an  important  branch 
of  the  industry  —  so  important  that  over  five  thousand 
dozen  per  week  are  manufactured  —  other  and  various 
kinds  of  webbing  as  have  been  alluded  to,  are  made  here. 
In  the  several  mills  there  are  now  employed  about  one 
thousand  operatives,  the  machinery  used  is  of  the  most 
expensive  kind,  and  ample  accommodations  are  made 
for  the  comfort  and  convenience  of  the  employes.  Both 
steam  and  water-power  are  used,  including  nine  steam 
engines,  seven  water-wheels  and  sixteen  boilers.  The 
spinning  mills  consume  over  three  thousand  balesof  cotton 
per  year,  producing  not  less  than  one  million  five  hun- 
dred thousand  pounds  of  double  and  twisted  yarn.  From 


THE   COTTON  MANUFACTURE   IN   NEW   ENGLAND. 


167 


time  to  time  the  capital  of  the  company  has  been  increased, 
and  it  is  now  $600,000,  made  entirely  from  the  profits 
of  the  business.  In  iS^o,  Mr.  Hubbarcl  purchased  the 
stock  of  Samuel  D.  Hubbarcl,  and  later  that  of  Mr.  Rus- 
sell, so  that  at  the  present  time  he  is  the  largest  owner. 
The  present  officers  of  the  company  are  Henry  G.  Hub- 
bard  president,  E.  K.  Hubbard,  vice-president,  H.  W. 
Hubbard,  secretary,  E.  H.  Burr,  treasurer.  Mr.  E.  L. 
Bailey  is  the  agent,  and  the  offices  in  New  York  are  at 
74  and  76  Worth  Street. 

*  *  »  *  » 

THE  THOMSON- HOUSTON  MOTOR  COMPANY'S  SYS- 
TEM OF  ELECTRIC  TRAMWAYS  FOR  MILLS. — The  intro- 
duction of  electric  power  for  commercial  use  dates  back 
but  a  few  years,  but  its  economy  and  convenience  have 
been  so  promptly  recognized  that  the  stationary  electric 
motor  is  now  to  be  found  in  nearly  every  city  of  the 
country.  Naturally  following  the  success  of  simple 
applications  of  electric  power,  attention  has  been  directed 
to  other  adaptations,  the  extreme  flexibility  of  the  system 
rendering  the  problems  presented  comparatively  easy. 

The  demand  of  mills  and  factories  for  a  convenient 
method  of  transporting  raw  materials  and  manufactured 
goods,  coal  or  other  commodities  from  one  part  of  the 
works  to  another,  or  to  and  from  the  nearest  steam  rail- 


transmission  of  power  with  minimum  loss  and  cost,  per- 
mitting the  concentration  of  the  generating  plant,  whether 
steam  or  water-power,  and  the  electric  tramway  system, 
in  which  advantage  is  taken  of  this,  appeals  strongly  to 
the  business  man  on  the  ground  of  economy. 

The  Thomson-Houston  Motor  Company  desires  to  call 
attention  to  several  installations  of  mill  tramways,  one 
of  which  is  herewith  illustrated,  and  to  give  detailed 
information  concerning  the  system  and  its  operation. 

The  plant  required  for  ordinary  mill  tramway  work 
and  the  operation  of  the  system  will  be  briefly  described. 
The  starting  point  of  the  electric  system  is  the  generator, 
which  may  be  belted  direct  to  the  main  driving  shaft  of 
the  mill  or  factory,  or  connected  with  a  counter  shaft  for 
proper  adjustment  of  speed.  The  electric  current  here 
generated  passes  along  an  overhead  wire  suspended  above 
the  tramway.  The  motor-car  is  provided  with  a  trolley 
arm  which  is  always  in  contact  with  the  overhead  wire. 
The  current  is  led  by  the  trolley  arm  and  its  connections 
to  the  motor  under  the  car.  After  performing  its  work 
in  driving  the  motor,  the  current  returns  to  the  generator 
through  the  rails  and  copper  connectors. 

A  series  of  gears  transmits  the  rotary  movement  of  the 
motor  armature  to  the  driving  wheels  of  the  car.  The 
generator  and  motor  are  thus  seen  to  be  simply  the 


THE  THOMSON-HOUSTON  TRAMWAY  AT  WASHINGTON  MILLS,  LAWRENCE,  MASS. 


way  station,  was  one  of  the  first  to  receive  attention. 
The  conditions  demand  a  system  which  shall  combine 
reliability,  safety  and  economy  ;  and  electricity  fully  meets 
the  requirements.  Where  a  locomotive  is  wanted  for 
both  outdoor  and  interior  use,  a  steam  engine  is  out  of 
the  question  and  electric  power  is  often  preferable  also, 
where  the  entire  circuit  is  out  of  doors.  The  expense 
per  horse-power  of  running  a  steam  locomotive,  and  in 
fact  any  small  isolated  steam  plant,  in  comparison  with  a 
large  stationary  engine  where  all  the  advantages  of  con- 
centration are  available,  shows  decided  economy  in  favor 
of  the  large  plant.  Electricity  furnishes  a  means  for 


instruments  for  putting  mechanical  power  in  such  form 
that  it  may  be  carried  along  a  wire  and  then  re-trans- 
formed into  mechanical  energy  at  any  point. 

The  overhead  wire  may  be  tapped  anywhere  and  a 
stationary  motor,  an  electric  hoist,  pump,  or  any  form 
of  electric  power  machine  operated  therefrom,  thus  giving 
the  benefits  of  a  regular  power  circuit.  The  overhead 
wire  construction  has  been  found  perfectly  safe  in  actual 
practice,  and  free  from  objectionable  features.  In  cases 
where  track  has  already  been  laid  it  can  generally  be 
used  without  material  change.  Any  guage  from  eighteen 
inches  upward  may  be  used.  The  motor-car  is  so  con- 


168 


THE  COTTON  CENTENNIAL. 


B.  F.  STURTEVANT, 

FOUNDER   OF    THE    B.    F.    STURTEVANT    COMPANY. 

structed  as  to  have  nearly  the  carrying  capacity  of  a  simi- 
lar platform  car,  and  may  be  used  by  itself  alone,  or  to 
draw  a  train  of  one  or  more  cars.  It  can  be  equipped 
With  a  hoisting  motor  and  derrick  operated  independent 
of  the  driving  motor,  for  handling  heavy  iron,  stone,  etc., 
if  desired.  The  controlling  devices  are  extremely  simple 
and  so  placed  that  one  man  operates  the  train  with  entire 
control  of  direction  and  speed.  The  motors  are  reversi- 
ble, may  be  run  at  any  desired  speed,  and  are  provided 
with  carbon  brushes,  reducing  running  expenses  to  a  min- 
imum. Ordinary  grades  and  curves  offer  no  serious 
obstacles,  as  a  glance  at  the  description  of  installations 
will  show.  The  man  in  charge  of  the  system  need  have 
no  previous  training  either  in  steam  or  electricity. 

The  current  employed  is  of  a  low  pressure  or  voltage 
which  is  fixed  at  a  point  not  dangerous  to  human  life  in 
case  of  accidental  contact.  Wherever  necessary  or 
advisable,  in  the  construction  of  the  line,  extra  insulation 
is  used  and  guard  wires  strung,  entirely  obviating  danger 
.  of  fire.  The  trolley  arm  is  also  carefully  insulated. 

Among  the  larger  installations  of  mill  tramways  is  that 
at  the  Washington  Mills  in  Lawrence,  Massachusetts. 
The  illustration  shows  the  car  while  making  one  of  its 
trips  in  the  yard.  In  this  case  the  tramway  is  used 
entirely  for  coal  transportation.  The  motor-car  is  pro- 
vided with  one  three  horse-power  Thomson-Houston 
Motor,  and  is  capable  of  hauling  a  load  of  5,000  pounds, 
at  a  rate  of  six  miles  per  hour.  Reference  is  made  to  Mr. 
J.  H.  Jealous,  agent  of  the  Washington  Mills,  for  infor- 
mation on  the  working  of  this  installation. 

One  of  the  first  mill  tramways  equipped  with  Thomson- 
Houston  Motors  was  at  the  Tremont  and  Suffolk  Mills, 
Lowell,  Massachusetts.  The  entire  length  of  track  is. 
about  eight  hundred  feet  with  a  three  per  cent,  grade. 
The  car  run  from  one  building  over  a  bridge  and  the 
entire  length  of  another  building,  a  load  of  about  four 
tons  being  carried.  The  overhead  single  wire  construc- 


tion Is  used,  the  current  returning  through  the  rails  and 
connectors.  Mr.  E.  W.  Thomas,  agent  of  the  Tremont 
and  Suffolk  Company,  may  be  referred  to  for  facts  and 
figures  relating  to  the  working  of  the  tramway  in  his 

mills. 

***** 

The  development  of  the  fan  blower  in  its  many  appli- 
cations, is  a  feature  of  the  mechanical  progress  of  the 
last  thirty  years.  About  1860,  the  late  B.  F.  Sturtevant 
the  pioneer  in  this  business,  and  by  far  the  largest  manu- 
facturer, constructed  his  first  fan  blower.  At  that  time, 
Mr.  Sturtevant,  having  just  come  to  Boston  from  his 
birth  place  in  Maine,  where  he  had  learned  the  trade  of  a 
shoemaker,  was  inventing  and  experimenting  upon  a 
machine  for  pegging  shoes.  This  experience  revealed  the 
necessity  of,  and  led  him  to  invent  and  place  upon  the 
market,  a  type  of  small  fan  blower,  for  removing,  by 
exhaustion,  the  fine  leather  dust  and  clippings  from  shoe 
buffing  machines.  The  call  for  these  fans  rapidly  increas- 
ing, he  established  a  small  shop  in  Boston  where  seven 
or  eight  men  were  employed. 

The  utility  of  the  fan  blower  was  readily  appreciated, 
and  as  readily  applied  for  the  removal  of  light  refuse 
material  from  all  classes  of  machines,  to  the  ventilation 
of  apartments,  and  to  the  blowing  of  boiler,  forge  and 
cupola  fires.  In  the  latter  cases  particularly,  it  rapidly 
superseded  the  cumbersome  positive  blast  blowers,  so 
called. 

In  1866,  Mr.  Sturtevant  received  the  order  for  the  large 
ventilating  fans  for  the  United  States  Capitol,  and  built 
what  were  then  the  largest  encased  fans  in  the  country. 
The  subsequent  construction  of  a  fan  wheel  sixteen  feet 
in  diameter  for  the  Danvers  Insane  Asylum,  was  at  that 
time  looked  upon  as  a  remarkable  piece  of  work. 

Being  one  of  those  men,  who  is  never  contented  until 
he  is  fully  master  of  all  matters  pertaining  to  his  business, 
Mr.  Sturtevant  made  during  this  period  his  extensive  and 
widely  known  experiments  upon  the  efficiency  and  capa- 
city of  fan  blowers.  Few  men  would  ever  have  carried 
out  to  such  perfection,  experiments  entirely  at  their  own 
expense.  But  the  time  and  money  thus  expended  has 
been  repaid  a  thousand  times  in  the  success  which  has 
attended  the  introduction  of  the  Sturtevant  Fans.  Con- 
structed upon  scientific  principles,  and  fully  tested  by 
untiring  experiments  they  have  proved  themselves  invalu- 
able in  almost  all  lines  of  trade.  The  results  of  these 
experiments  were  given  to  the  public  in  a  series  of 
elaborate  catalogues  containing  many  tables  of  great 
utility. 

The  lack  of  room  and  inconvenience  of  a  city  shop 
finally  compelled  in  the  spring  of  1878  the  removal  of  the 
entire  plant  to  Jamaica  Plain,  some  three  miles  outside 
the  city  proper.  Here  extensive  and  convenient  shops 
were  erected,  and  additions  gradually  made  until  they 
form  at  present  by  far  the  most  extensive  works  in  the 
world  devoted  to  the  manufacture  of  fan  blowers.  The 
accompanying  cut  clearly  shows  the  comparative  size  and 
arrangement  of  this  extensive  plant.  The  buildings  are 
all  of  brick,  of  one,  two  and  three  stories,  according  to 
the  class  of  work.  All  are  generously  supplied  with 
light  and  fresh  air  and  contain  all  the  modern  improve- 


THE    COTTON   MANUFACTURE   IN   NEW   ENGLAND. 


169 


ments,  conducive  to  the  welfare  of  the  employees  and  the 
production  of  the  best  work. 

Passing  in  at  the  office  door,  which  is  directly  across  the 
tracks  from  the  Jamaica  Plain  Station  of  the  Boston  & 
Providence  Railroad,  two  commodious  offices  are  entered, 
while  directly  overhead  is  the  draughting  room,  having 
accommodations  for  twelve  to  fifteen  draughtsmen.  Pass- 

O 

ing  out  from  the  offices,  one  enters,  upon  the  first  floor, 
the  engine  shop,  where  are  built  all  the  engines  required 
for  driving  the  Sturtevant  Fans,  as  well  as  the  high  grade 
Sturtevant  Automatic  Engines,  both  upright  and  horizon- 
tal. The  second  floor,  immediately  above  the  engine 
shop  is  given  up  to  engine  work  and  the  manufacture  of 
small  shafts  and  boxes,  brass  work,  etc. 

In  the  centre  of  the  building  adjoining  the  engine  shop 


establishment,  are  made  within  its  walls,  and  the  highest 
quality  is  always  maintained.  As  the  shops  run  parallel 
to  and  near  the  tracks  of  the  Providence  Railroad,  the 
general  supplies  have  to  be  simply  transferred  from  the 
cars  to  the  buildings.  Special  bins  are  arranged  so  that 
coal,  iron,  moulding  sand,  materials  of  manufacture,  etc., 
can  be  unloaded  directly  from  the  cars.  The  entirelength 
of  the  works  facing  upon  the  tracks  is  about  five  hundred 
feet.  The  pickling  room,  paint  shop,  erecting  shop, 
pattern  storage  rooms,  sheet  iron  and  tin  pipe  shop, 
shipping  room  and  stables  occupy  a  large  space  at  the 
back  of  the  main  building  midway  of  its  length.  The 
establishment  now  has  over  five  acres  of  available  floor 
space,  and  employs  about  four  hundred  men  in  the 
various  departments.  The  principal  shops  are  lighted 


PLANT  OF  THE  B.  F  STURTEVANT  COMPANY,  BOSTON,  MASS. 


is  the  boiler  plant,  and  near  by  a  Sturtevant  Automatic 
Engine  furnishes  power  for  the  shops.  The  next  room 
entered  is  devoted  entirely  to  the  manufacture  of  the 
Sturtevant  Heaters,  which  are  used  in  connection  with 
the  fans  for  heating  and  drying  purposes.  Enormous 
heaters  are  conveniently  and  readily  constructed  upon  the 
sectional  plan,  in  fact  a  single  heater  recently  shipped, 
contained  about  five  miles  of  i"  pipe.  Immediately  over 
this  room,  on  the  second  floor,  is  located  the  fan  housing 
shop,  where  all  the  steel  plate  fan  housings  are  con- 
structed. Above  this  in  turn  is  a  large  room  devoted  to 
the  construction  of  fan  wheels  of  all  sizes,  and  shapes, 
and  for  all  uses.  In  the  centre  of  the  building,  above  the 
boiler  and  engine  rooms,  is  the  pattern  shop  of  ample 
dimensions. 

All  of  the  brass  and  iron  castings  required  in  this 


by  electric  light,  the  dynamos  being  driven  by  a  Sturte- 
vant Engine. 

Mr.  Sturtevant's  personality  is  every-where  evident  in 
designs  and  unique  arrangements,  his  whole  attention 
having  been  devoted  to  that  all-important  branch,  the 
constructive  details  of  the  business. 

Although  the  field  for  the  introduction  and  use  of  the 
various  articles  manufactured  by  this  company  is  world- 
wide, yet  their  utility  in  the  textile  mill  is  such  as  to 
make  them  well  known  to  mill  men.  Among  the  earlier 
applications  was  that  of  the  exhausting  fan  for  handling 
wool,  hair,  etc.,  carrying  and  depositing  the  same  in 
bins  or  elsewhere,  as  desired.  In  connection  therewith 
came  the  application  of  the  fan  for  the  ventilation  of 
the  weave  and  similar  hot  rooms. 

Mr.  Sturtevant  early  recognized  the  peculiar  merits  of 


170 


THE  COTTON  CENTENNIAL. 


drying  and  heating  by  a  forced  circulation  of  warm  air. 
He  combined  the  fan  with  a  special  steam  heater,  and  at 
first  introduced  it  for  the  drying  of  cotton,  wool,  hair, 
yarn,  etc.,  but  its  success  in  this  line  rapidly  drew  atten- 
tion to  its  desirability  as  a  means  of  heating.  The  type 
of  fan  was  changed,  it  was  designed  particularly  for  the 
handling  of  large  volumes  of  air  at  a  minimum  expendi- 
ture of  power,  the  wheel  and  shell  being  constructed  of 
steel  plate,  very  light,  but  strong.  The  heater  is  of 
special  construction,  being  made  up  of  sections  of  cast 
iron,  into  which  are  screwed  upright  pipes  of  steel,  con- 
nected above  by  cross  pipes  so  as  to  secure  thorough  cir- 
culation throughout  the  heater.  The  entire  heater  is 
encased  in  a  steel  plate  jacket,  connecting  with  the  fan. 

By  means  of  the  .fan  a  very  large  volume  of  air  is 
caused  to  pass  across  the  pipes,  thereby  causing  very 
rapid  condensation  of  the  steam  within.  In  fact  the  con- 
densation and  consequent  radiation  of  heat  is  so  great  that 
one  foot  of  pipe  in  one  of  these  heaters  is  capable  of  doing 
as  much  heating  as  three  or  four  feet  of  pipe  strung 
around  the  room  in  the  ordinary  manner. 

The  past  few  years  has  witnessed  a  very  general  intro- 
duction of  this  type  of  apparatus  in  the  textile  mills  of 
this  country.  In  fact,  with  only  a  few  exceptions,  every 
new  mill  of  this  class  erected  in  New  England  during 
the  year  1890  has  been  supplied  with  this  heating  system, 
To  secure  its  proper  introduction,  the  system  should  be 
decided  upon  before  the  building  is  erected,  so  that  the 
mill  architect  and  engineer  can  make  proper  provision 
for  it. 

The  Sturtevant  System  now  accomplishes  a  triple  pur- 
pose— that  of  heating,  ventilating  and  moistening.  These 
three  are  always  interdependent,  so  that  a  change  in  the 
efficiency  with  which  one  is  accomplished,  must  of  neces- 


sity affect  the  remainder.  This  system  contemplates 
massing  the  steam  pipe  in  coils  located  in  the  basement, 
or  in  a  building  adjacent  to  the  mill,  and  taking  from 
out  of  doors  the  fresh  air  to  be  heated,  and  passing  it,  by 
means  of  the  fan,  across  the  heater  pipes,  thus  distribu- 
ting it  about  the  building  by  means  of  ducts  built  in  the 
walls. 

As  a  rule  the  fan  is  located  midway  of  the  length  of 
the  building,  and  discharges  the  air  into  a  duct  running 
along  one  side  of  the  mill,  and  formed  in  part  by  the 
ground  or  floor  and  the  mill  wall.  This  duct  is  generally 
of  brick,  occupying  no  valuable  space,  and  serving  as  a 
ready  conduit  for  the  air. 

At  intervals  along  the  mill  wall  are  vertical  flues  run- 
ning up  between  the  windows  in  the  form  of  hollow  pil- 
asters. These  are  usually  placed  some  fifty  to  seventy- 
five  feet  apart,  and  deliver  their  air  to  the  mill  from 
openings  some  ten  feet  above  the  floor.  The  velocity  of 
discharge  and  rapid  motion  of  belting  and  pulleys  serves 
to  thoroughly  distribute  this  air,  efficiently  heating  and 
ventilating  everything  in  its  course.  Mills  up  to  120  feet 
wide,  have  been  equally  heated  in  this  manner  by  flues 
and  openings  on  one  side  of  the  mill  only. 

It  is  now  an  accepted  fact  that  the  best  preventative  for 
electricity  and  its  injurious  effects  is  a  moist  atmosphere. 
Instead  of  the  thousands  of  dollars  expended  for  patent 
moisteners,  the  Sturtevant  System  simply  inserts  a  small 
spray  of  water  in  the  main  air  duct,  and  thereby  moistens 
effectually  all  the  air  delivered  to  the  mill. 

The  B.  F.  Sturtevant  Company,  through  its  large 
experience  in  this  line,  is  qualified  to  lay  out  and  design 
systems  of  heating  for  all  classes  of  buildings.  Branch 
houses  have  been  established  at  Boston,  New  York, 
Chicago,  Philadelphia  and  London. 


FALL  RIVER,  FROM  THE  HARBOR. 


HARTFORD 


ORGANIZED    1866. 


J.  M.  ALLEN,  President. 
J.  B.  PIERCE,  Secretary. 


W.  B.  FRANKLIN,  Vice-Pres't. 
F.  B.  ALLEN,  2d  Vice-Pres't. 


JV  SIPECTIOJV. 


THOROUGH  INSPECTION. 


AGAINST  ALL- 


LOSS  or  Damage  to  Property, 


-ALSO,   ACAINST- 


Loss  of  Life  and  Injury  to  Persons, 

—CAUSED   BY— 

STEAM  BOILER  EXPLOSIONS. 


H*  The  Largest  Business  of  any  Company  of  its  kind  in  the  World. 

SEND    FOR    CIRCULAR. 


INCORPORATED    1832. 


Phenix  Iron  Foundry, 

CORNER  ELM  AND  EDDY  STREETS,  PROVIDENCE,  R.  I., 


MANUFACTURERS  OF 


Dyeing :  and :  Bleaching :  Machinery, 

PRINTING  MACHINES,  SHAFTING,  GEARING,  GRATE  BARS,  TENTER  DRYERS,  HYDRAULIC  PRESSES,  ETC.,  ETC. 

Particular  attention  paid  to  the  manufacture  of  Cotton  Paper  and  Husk  Rolls,  for  calendering-  either  Cotton,  Paper 
or  Silk  Goods.  A  Large  Assortment  of  Gear,  Pulley  and  Machinery  Patterns  of  various  kinds.  Catalogues  of 
Gears  .and  Pulleys  furnished  upon  application. 


SOLE  MANUFACTUKERS  OF  THE  IMPROVED  NAGLE  POWER  AND  BOILER  FEED  PUMPS. 

CHARLES  R.  EARLE,  President  and  Treasurer.  M.  W.  GARDINER,  Jr.,  Secretary. 

A.  W.  C.  ARNOLD,  Agent. 

NEWTON'S  STEAM  TRAP! 

Patented  Oct.  5,  I  88O.          Aug.  T,  1883.         Sept.  4.  1883.         Jan.  12,  1886. 

EFFECTS  A  LARGE  SAVING  IN  FUEL. 

Warranted  for  Two  Years.     Perfectly  Automatic,    ran  be  seen  in  Operation  by  Removing  Loose  Cover.     All 
Parts  HIT  Easily  Accessible.     Works  Equally  as  well  on  High  or  Low  Pressure.    No  Expansion  or 

Contraction.    Invaluable  for  Separating  Water  or  Oil  from  Natural  Gas. 

Received    the  Highest  Award  at  the  Kxhibitlon  of  the  Franklin  Institute  of  Philadelphia,   Va.,    f,>r 
Kteam  Traps,  18S5.     We  have  sold  7OO  of  these  Steam  Traps  to  TWENTY  of  the  largest  manufac- 
turing concerns  in  the  N.  E.  States  an<t  Pennsylvania. 

Head  the  following  statement  from  the  well-known  concern  of  Washburn  &  Moen  Mfg.  Co.,  who  required  a  Trap 
guaranteed  to  work  at  100  Ibs.  pressure,  before  giving  the  Newton  Trap  a  trial. 

WORCESTER,  MASS.,  Jan.  12, 1889. 
Providence  Steam  Trap  Co.,  Providence,  R.  I  : 

GENTLEMEN— Those  of  your  steam  traps  which  we  have  used  have  given  us  gnod  satisfaction. 

Vourstruly.  WASHBUKN  &  MOEN  MFG.  CO.,  PHILIP  W.  MOEN,  Ass't  Treas. 

The  TENTn  order  has  been  received  from  the  above  concern. 


R.  Newton's  Combined  Steam,  Water,  Oil,  Grease  and  Grit 


Patented  Dec.  21,  1886. 

With  the  use  of  this  apparatus  we  guarantee  the  following  results : 
Pure  Dry  Steam  for  Engines,  Pumps,  Etc.,  no  matter  how  long  may  be  your  MAIN  PIPE,  or  how  much  your  BOILEK 

The  Extraction  of  Oil,  Crease,  Grit  and  Water  from  the  Exhaust  Steam,  so  that  such  steam  can  be  used  for  Heating, 

Dyeing,  Bleaching,  and  other  purposes,  and  when  Condensed  cim  be  used  over  again  in  Boilers,  if  desired. 
We  will  §end  one  of  these  Separators  on  trial  for  thiriy  daj  s  to  any  refpoi  sible  paity. 

READ  THE  FOLLOWING  STATEMENT  t 

LOWELL  BLEACHERY  AND  DYE  WORKS,  LOWELL,  MASS.,  Sept.  5th,  1887. 

ROBERT  NEWTON,  ESQ  ,  Dear  Sir— Replying  to  your  favor  ol  the  1st  inst.,  I  have  to  say  that  your  Separator  is  giving  us  perfect  satisfac- 
tion, and  merits  our  unqualified  approbation.  Shall  be  happy  to  show  it  to  any  one  wit-hlng  to  investigate  the  operation  of  same  at  our 
works.  Very  truly  yours,  JAMES  N.  BOURNE,  Agent. 

The  SECOND  order  for  a  10-in.  Separator  has  been  recently  received  from  the  above  concern. 


R.  NEWTON'S   PATENT   SEPARATOR    AND    STRAINER. 


Invaluable 


Simple,  l  li.--.i|>  and  Dnrablr.    Nothing  to  Wear  Out  and  will  Last  a  Life  Time. 

e  for  .Steam  Traps,  Injectors,  Boiler  Feed  Pipes.  Wuier  Meters,  Water  Klevators.  Locomotive^,  Sugar  Refln 
An  Arrester  at  Iron  Chips,  Scale,  Ited  Lend,  Pocking,  lllrt,  Sand,  Orit  and  other  foreign  substances  that 

collect  in  the  Stettin  and  Water  Pines. 


lerles,  etc. 


Send  for  Circulars. 


AGENTS  WANTED.        Liberal  Terms  to  the  Trade. 


MANUFACTURER    BY 


PROVIDENCE  STEAM  TRAP  CO.,  P.  0.  Box  1213,  Providence,  R.  I. 

WILBOUR,  JACKSON  <fc  OX 

Bankers  and  Brokers, 

Dealers  in  Commercial  Paper,  Government  and  other  First-Class  Bonds  and 

Securities,  and  Foreign  Exchange. 

PRIVATE  TELEGRAPH  WIRE  TO  NEW  YORK  AND  BOSTON. 

able  in"ll r?rts1)"<th'e1f o™ldn"PO*1'*  SubJect  to  cheek-    Checks  redeemable  through  the  clearing  same  as  checks  on  Banks.    Letters  of  Credit  furnished,  avail- 


Agents  of  the  London  Cheque  Bank  (Limited),  whose  Drafts  are  Cashed  in  any  part  of  the  world. 

JOSHUA  WILBOUR.          48  and  52  WEYBOSSET  ST.,  PROVIDENCE, 


BENJAMIN  A.  JACKSON. 


ClWTER  X. 


THE  COTTON  MANUFACTURE  OUTSIDE  OF  NEW  ENGLAND. 

THE  EXTENT  OF  THE  INDUSTRY  IN  THE  MIDDLE  STATES  —  FIRST  FACTORIES  IN  THE  STATE  OF  NEW  YORK  —  FOUNDING  AND 
DEVELOPMENT  OF  THE  CITY  OF  COHOES — MANUFACTURE  OF  HOSIERY  AND  KNIT  GOODS — OTHER  COTTON  CENTRES  IN 
NEW  YORK — FIRST  FACTORIES  IN  NEW  JERSEY — NEWARK — PATERSON — PHILADELPHIA,  THE  GREATEST  TEXTILE  CEN- 
TRE IN  THE  COUNTRY — WILMINGTON,  DELAWARE — FIRST  MILLS  IN  MARYLAND — BALTIMORE  AND  VICINITY — COTTON  IN 
THE  SOUTHERN  STATES— EARLY  MANUFACTURING  IN  THE  SOUTH — DEVELOPMENT  OF  THE  COTTON  INDUSTRY  IN  THE 
SOUTH  SINCE  THE  WAR — THE  INDUSTRIAL  EXHIBITIONS  AT  ATLANTA,  LOUISVILLE  AND  NEW  ORLEANS — SMALL  PRO- 
PORTIONS OF  THE  INDUSTRY  IN  THE  WEST. 


Next  in  importance  to  New  England  in  the  extent  of 
the  cotton  manufacture  comes  New  York,  Pennsylvania, 
New  Jersey,  Maryland  and  Delaware,  in  the  order 
named.  Although  they  follow  very  far  behind,  having 
together  only  a  total  of  about  1,700,00x2  spindles  against 
over  1 1,000,000  in  New  England,  yet  some  of  the  earliest 
factories  in  the  country  were  established  in  these  states, 
and  a  few  of  these  concerns  have  had  a  similar  history 
to  their  contemporaries  in  the  east  in  that  at  present 
some  of  them  have  grown  to  large  proportions. 

The  first  cotton  factory  in  the  state  of  New  York  is 
said  to  have  been  established  at  Union  Village,  Wash- 
ington County,  by  William  Mowry,  who  had  learned  the 
business  with  Samuel  Slater  at  Pawtucket,  and  this  mill 
was  for  many  years  one  of  the  largest  in  the  country. 
Many  cotton  mills  were  started  in  New  York  state  in 
1811  and  1812;  in  1823  there  were  in  the  whole  state 
thirty-six  concerns  engaged  in  the  industry,  but  a  great 
increase  took  place  in  the  next  few  years  so  that  in  1836 
there  were  112  factories  with  a  capital  of  $3,669,500, 
running  157,316  spindles,  employing  12,954  hands  and 
producing  upward  of  2 2, 000,000  yards  of  cloth  annually. 

A  small  factory  was  started  at  Whitestone,  near  Utica, 
in  1807  or  1808,  by  B.  S.  Walcott,  Jr.,  one  of  the  orig- 
inal projectors  of  the  Cumberland  Mills,  Rhode  Island, 
and  who  had  worked  in  the  Old  Mill  at  Pawtucket. 
This  mill  was  the  nucleus  from  which  has  grown  the 
well  known  New  York  Mills,  whose  sheetings  and  shirt- 
ings have  been  considered  the  standard  for  many  years 
throughout  the  country,  and  were  only  rivaled  by  the 
products  of  the  Wamsutta  Mills  in  New  Bedford.  The 
present  capital  of  the  New  York  Mills  is  $1,000,000, 
65,000  spindles  and  1,700  looms  are  run,  and  the  goods 
manufactured  are  sheetings  and  shirtings. 

The  city  of  Cohoes,  about  eight  miles  above  Albany, 
has  had  a  somewhat  remarkable  development  as  a  textile 
manufacturing  centre.  When  the  Erie  and  Champlain 
canals  were  in  process  of  construction,  from  1817  to  1823, 
the  attention  of  Mr. Canvass  White,  constructing  engineer, 
was  attracted  to  the  great  force  of  the  Mohawk  River  at 
Cohoes  Falls,  just  above  the  junction  of  the  two  canals. 
He  originated  a  design  for  the  utilization  of  the  water- 
power  and  succeeded  in  interesting  a  number  of  promi- 
nent capitalists,  the  result  being  that  a  corporation,  with 
this  object  in  view,  named  the  Cohoes  Company,  was 
incorporated  in  1826.  Between  that  time  and  1830,  this 


company  built  a  dam  above  the  falls,  and  by  a  canal  two 
miles  in  length  utilized  the  water  of  the  river.  By  a 
well  considered  system  of  subsequent  improvements,  the 
power  has  been  developed  to  its  fullest  capacity,  until 
there  are  at  present  ten  canals  that  furnish  water  to  mills 
and  shops  on  six  different  levels.  The  total  fall  is  1 20 
feet,  and  10,000  horse-power  is  available,  although  a 
large  proportion  of  it  is  not  used.  A  small  cotton  factory 
had  been  put  in  operation  in  this  locality  about  1817,  by 
the  Cohoes  Manufacturing  Company,  but  this  mill  was 
destroyed  by  fire  in  1829,  and  was  not  rebuilt.  Until  the 
formation  of  the  Cohoes  Company,  the  place  seems  not 
to  have  had  any  distinctive  name,  but  to  have  been  known 
as  the  Junction,  from  the  fact  that  here  the  Erie  received 
the  waters  of  the  Champlain  canal,  by  a  navigable  feeder 
from  the  Mohawk.  Here  were  located  seventeen  locks, 
which  still  exist  in  an  enlarged  form  within  the  present 
city  limits,  and  at  that  time  a  few  houses  had  been  erected 
in  the  neighborhood^  for  the  convenience  of  travelers  and 
the  accommodation  of  the  canal  boatmen.  David  Wil- 
kinson, being  a  member  of  the  Cohoes  Company,  removed 
here  from  Pawtucket  in  1830,  and  was  one  of  the  first  to 
use  the  water-power.  He  erected  a  shop  for  the  con- 
struction of  machinery  and  had  it  in  operation  a  few 
months  after  his  arrival.  Hezekiah  Howe,  Mr.  Wilkin- 
son's brother-in-law,  arrived  the  following  year  and 
engaged  in  constructing  some  of  the  first  canals  of  the 
Cohoes  Company.  A  cotton  mill  was  built  in  1832,  and 
a  number  of  other  concerns  were  put  in  operation  in  the 
next  few  years,  but  no  great  increase  in  the  industry  of 
the  place  occurred  until  in  1837  tne  Harmony  Manufac- 
turing Company  began  the  erection  of  a  large  cotton  fac- 
tory. Through  the  purchase  of  the  Strong  and  Ogden 
Mills,  erected  in  1846,  the  building  of  other  mills  and  the 
enlargement  of  the  original  structures,  this  corporation 
has  the  most  extensive  works  in  one  cluster  in  the  coun- 
try exclusively  devoted  to  the  manufacture  of  cotton 
goods.  There  are  five  cotton  factories  beside  a  jute  and 
bag  mill.  Mill  No.  3,  made  its  present  size  by  an  exten- 
sion in  1872,  is  the  largest  complete  cotton  factory  in  the 
country,  being  1,185  feet  long  by  70  feet  wide  in  the  old 
part,  and  76  feet  in  the  extension,  and  has  within  its 
walls  2,600  looms  and  126,000  spindles,  while  about 
1,700  operatives  are  required  to  run  this  machinery. 
The  present  capacity  of  the  Harmony  Mills  is  275,000 
spindles  and  6,200  looms. 


174 


THE  COTTON  CENTENNIAL. 


The  manufacture  of  knit  underwear  by  machinery  had 
its  origin  in  Cohoes,  and  this  industry  is  entitled  to  be 
classed  in  connection  with  cotton  as,  although  the  chief 
basis  of  knit  goods  is  wool,  yet  cotton  is  used  to  a  large 
extent  in  the  cheaper  grades.  The  first  effective  knitting 
machine  that  supplanted  the  old  heavy  hand  frame  was 
the  invention  of  Timothy  Bailey  and  Egbert  Egberts,  Mr. 
Bailey  being  the  practical  mechanic  while  Mr.  Egberts 
furnished  the  funds.  The  result  was  the  production 
of  a  machine  that  successfully  performed  the  work. 
Egberts  and  Bailey  formed  a  partnership  and  started  in 
1832  eight  of  the  machines  in  the  cotton  factory  that  had 
been  erected  that  year.  They  did  not  patent  their  inven- 
tion, but  conducted  the  manufacture  secretly.  The  tirm 
erected  a  mill  specially  designed  for  the  business  in  1843 
and  this  was  the  only  factory  in  the  country  for  many 
years  in  which  the  knitting  of  shirts  and  drawers  was 
done  by  machinery.  After  1854,  a  great  increase  took 
place  in  the  knitting  business,  and  new  mills  were 
erected  nearly  every  year.  In  1869,  there  were  eighteen 
large  knitting  mills,  and  in  1872,  there  were  twenty, 
employing  2,500  hands.  At  present  there  are  in  Co- 
hoes,  nearly  forty  establishments  running  more  than 
two  hundred  sets  of  cards,  and  the  city  still  occupies  the 
foremost  position  in  this  branch  of  the  textile  manu- 
facture. Amsterdam  and  Little  Falls  approach  next  to 
Cohoes  in  the  extent  of  the  manufacture  of  knit  goods, 
but  the  industry  is  also  carried  on  in  many  other  places. 

Although  nearly  one-half  of  the  entire  amount  of  the 
cotton  manufacture  in  the  Empire  State  is  conducted  in 
(he  Harmony  Mills  at  Cohoes,  yet  there  are  several  other 
places  that  are  important  centres.  Utica  has  three  large 
companies  operating  83,000  spindles,  while  the  New 
York  Mills,  and  the  factories  in  New,  Hartford  are  in  the 
manufacturing  district  of  which  that  city  is  the  centre. 
At  Newburgh,  and  Victory  Mills,  Saratoga,  are  good 
sized  factories.  The  number  of  cotton  spindles  in  the 
state  in  1889  was  619,472. 

A  cotton  mill  was  in  operation  in  New  Jersey  at  Belle- 
ville in  1809,  and  at  the  same  place  a  large  calico  print- 
ing, dyeing  and  bleaching  works  was  started  in  1825. 
The  county  of  Essex  contained  in  1814  twenty  cotton 
mills  running  32,500  spindles.  Notwithstanding  this 
early  start,  New  Jersey  has  at  present  only  351,068  spin- 
dles and  of  these  200,000  are  in  the  works  of  the  Clark 
Thread  Company,  and  the  Clark  Mile-End  Spool  Cotton 
Company  at  Newark,  both  of  which  establishments  are 
in  reality  owned  by  one  company.  In  Newark  there  are 
three  other  thread  works  but  they  are  very  small  as 
compared  with  the  Clark  establishments.  The  existence 
of  all  these  various  concerns  constitutes  Newark  one  of 
the  chief  centres  of  the  spool  cotton  industry. 

Cotton  was  formerly  the  chief  industry  in  the  city  of 
Paterson,  but  at  present  the  manufacture  of  silk  leads  all 
others,  there  beingover  a  hundred  different  establishments 
engaged  in  this  business,  many  of  them  operating  exten- 
sive mills.  A  considerable  amount  of  flax  is  also  manu- 
factured here  in  six  or  eight  establishments.  At  present 
there  are  only  four  cotton  manufacturing  concerns,  one  of 
which  runs  40,000  spindles.  The  city  of  Paterson  was 
founded  in  1791,  as  a  result  of  the  exertions  of  Alexander 


Hamilton,  who  had  been  instrumental  in  forming  an 
association  which  was  incorporated  by  the  legislature  of 
New  Jersey  under  the  name  of  "  The  Society  for  the  Es- 
tablishment of  Useful  Manufactures."  This  association, 
with  the  intention  of  forming  a  great  manufacturing  city 
to  be  devoted  chiefly  to  the  manufacture  of  cotton  cloth, 
selected  the  neighborhood  of  the  Falls  of  the  Passaic  as 
the  seat  of  operations.  The  Great  Falls  had  an  elevation 
of  140  feet  and  was  calculated  to  be  capable  of  driving 
248  undershot  water-wheels,  while  the  Little  Falls,  four 
miles  above,  had  a  descent  of  thirty-six  feet  and  would 
drive  seventy-eight  wheels.  The  society  had  in  addition 
to  other  privileges,  obtained  a  city  charter,  giving  juris- 
diction over  a  region  six  miles  square,  on  which  there 
were  only  about  ten  houses.  The  embryo  city  was 
named  in  honor  of  Judge  William  Paterson,  then  gov- 
ernor of  New  Jersey.  At  first  the  advancement  of  the 
place  did  not  realize  the  hopes  of  its  founders,  but  on 
account  of  the  water-power  and  other  natural  advantages 
it  gradually  attracted  industries  so  as  to  justify  the 
wisdom  of  its  selection.  The  first  cotton  factory,  90  x  40 
feet,  was  begun  in  1792,  and  finished  in  1793,  and  yarn 
was  spun  in  this  mill  by  somewhat  imperfect  machinery. 
Calico  shawls  and  other  cotton  goods  were  printed,  the 
cloth  probably  being  India  muslins.  In  1809  a  small 
cotton  mill  was  in  operation  at  Paterson;  in  1814  there 
were  five  mills  ;  in  1822  twelve,  with  17,724  spindles  ;  in 
1827  three  had  been  added,  and  in  1829  there  were  seven- 
teen. In  1860  the  city  had  eleven  establishments  with 
an  investment  of  $683,000,  but  since  that  period  silk 
has  supplanted  cotton,  until  at  present  Paterson  is  the 
centre  of  this  manufacture  in  the  country.  The  only 
other  places  in  New  Jersey  where  any  amount  of  cotton 
goods  are  manufactured  are  Gloucester,  Millville  and 
May's  Landing,  and  there  are  a  few  small  mills  elsewhere. 

The  early  attempts  to  spin  cotton  by  machinery  at 
Philadelphia  under  the  patronage  of  Tench  Coxe,  Dr. 
Benjamin  Rush  and  others,  by  means  of  the  instrumen- 
tality of  societies  for  the  encouragement  of  domestic 
industry,  has  already  been  alluded  to  in  the  second 
chapter  of  this  work.  These  first  endeavors  were  only 
partially  successful,  but  while  failing  to  accomplish  what 
Samuel  Slater  afterward  achieved,  they  gave  an  impetus 
to  local  manufactures  whose  effect  have  continued  until 
the  present.  As  a  result,  and  also  probably  owing  to 
situation,  to  general  conditions  and  to  its  position  at  first 
as  the  central  city  in  the  Union,  Philadelphia  has  always 
been  the  greatest  manufacturing  locality  in  the  country, 
and  has  likewise  been  distinguished  for  the  diversified 
character  of  its  industries,  nearly  every  process  and  art 
in  use  in  the  country  being  represented  in  its  borders. 

In  1793  and  the  following  year,  eight  Arkwright  spin- 
ning frames  and  several  mules  were  in  operation  in  the 
Globe  Mills,  in  the  northern  part  of  the  city.  The  first 
calicoes  in  America  printed  from  engraved  cylinders  were 
made  in  1810  at  the  works  of  Thorp,  Siddall  &  Com- 
pany, six  miles  from  Philadelphia,  and  were  sent  there 
to  be  sold.  During  the  same  year  4,423  cotton  spindles 
were  running  in  the  city;  in  1815  the  industry  had 
increased  to  such  an  extent  that  2,325  persons  were 
employed,  and  in  1821  there  were  in  operation  4,000 


THE   COTTON   MANUFACTURE   OUTSIDE   OF   NEW   ENGLAND. 


175 


looms,  "  chiefly  for  weaving  cotton  goods."  In  1824 
Philadelphia  had  upward  of  thirty  cotton  mills,  averag- 
ing 1,400  spindles  each,  running  a  total  of  5,000  looms, 
and  employing  3,000  persons.  The  development  of  the 
textile  industries  in  Philadelphia  since  1860  is  shown  by 
the  following  table : 


1860. 

I 

870. 

8So. 

No.  of 
Estab's 

Capital. 

No.  of 
Estab's 

Capital. 

No.  of 
Estab's 

Capital. 

Cotton  goods 
Hosiery,  etc. 

90 
I  O2 
r6 

3,029,800 
847,96° 

66 

72 

6,042,440 

2,871,900 

H5 
95 

87 

8,332,55° 
3,042,690 

Carpets,     . 
Woolens,  . 
Worsteds,  . 
Silk,      .     . 

I24 
21 

2 

34 

882,625 
541,000 
30,500 
918,000 

236 
123 

29 

10 

2,997,650 
8,101,050 
3,149,600 
1,429,000 

58 
89 

24 
47 

7,194,433 
11,752,000 

4,459,639 
1,313-900 

In  1870  Philadelphia  was  the  greatest  manufacturing 
city  in  the  country  in  the  number  of  establishments,  hands 
employed,  capital  invested,  wages  paid  and  value  of  raw 
materials  used,  but  was  surpassed  by  New  York  in  the 
value  of  the  manufactured  product.  This  position  the 
city  has  since  maintained.  The  lines  of  cotton  goods 
made,  instead  of  being  sheetings,  shirtings  and  prints  as  in 
New  England,  are  ginghams, checks,  yarns,  thread,  special- 
ties and  mixed  fabrics,  and  the  manufacture  is  carried  on 
by  some  large  factories  and  in  a  multitude  of  smaller  estab- 
lishments. Taking  all  the  various  branches  of  the  textile 
manufacture  as  a  whole,  Philadelphia  leads  he  country. 
A  few  other  places  in  Pennsylvania  have  a  little  cotton 
manufacturing,  and  the  total  number  of  cotton  spindles 
running  in  the  state  in  1889  was  445,962. 

Calico  was  printed  in  Wilmington,  Delaware,  as  early 
as  1795,  by  a  French  Marquis,  and  about  the  same  time 
a  cotton  mill  was  started  by  Jacob  Broome.  In  1860  in 
that  city  and  vicinity  there  were  eleven  establishments 
engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  cotton  goods,  represent- 
ing an  investment  of  $582,500,  and  employing  over  one 
thousand  hands,  and  this  industry  was  then  the  most 
important  in  the  locality.  It  has  not  increased  since  then 
to  any  marked  extent,  as  in  the  whole  state  only  61,714 
spindles  are  in  operation,  most  of  which  are  in  Wilming- 
ton and  Newcastle. 

Very  early  in  the  century  the  cotton  manufacture  was 
begun  in  thestate  of  Maryland.  A  company  was  formed 
in  Baltimore  in  1789  to  manufacture  cotton  on  a  small 
scale,  using  stock  cards  and  small  hand  jennies,  but 
although  some  jeans  and  velvets  were  made,  the  enter- 
prise was  not  ultimately  a  success.  In  1810  two  mills, 
1 10  x  44  feet,  five  stories  high,  and  fitted  for  10,000 
spindles,  were  erected  by  the  Union  Manufacturing  Com- 
pany on  the  Patapsco  River,  ten  miles  from  Baltimore.* 
The  first  mill  was  started  in  May,  and  continued  to  run 
until  December,  1815,  when  it  was  destroyed  by  fire.  It 
contained  6,000  spindles.  The  second  mill  was  started 
July,  1814.  The  Powhatan  Cotton  Mills  were  started 
in  1810  at  Gwinn's  Falls,  several  miles  from  Baltimore. 
In  1811  the  Washington  Manufacturing  Company  erected 
a  mill  at  the  James  Falls,  five  miles  from  Baltimore, 
and  began  to  spin  cotton  by  water-power.  A  print- 
works that  would  turn  out  12,000  yards  a  week  was 
begun  at  Baltimore  in  1810,  and  in  that  city  and 
vicinity  the  same  year  there  were  in  operation  eleven 


cotton  mills,  with  9,000  spindles,  and  1,500  to  2,000 
more  in  preparation.  At  present  Baltimore  has  about 
100,000  cotton  spindles  running,  and  in  the  state  in  1889 
the  number  reported  was  176,800. 

The  part  the  southern  states  have  borne  in  relation  to 
the  great  cotton  industry  has  always  been  that  of  the  pro- 
ducers of  the  cotton  staple,  and  the  manufacture  has  occu- 
pied a  very  subordinate  place.  The  invention  of  the 
cotton  gin  in  1793,  gave  a  great  impetus  to  the  cultivation 
of  the  cotton  plant,  and  soon  the  energy  and  capital  of 
the  entire  section  was  mainly  devoted  to  this  industry. 
From  being  a  plant  grown  either  for  its  beauty  in  gardens, 
or  for  use  in  a  very  small  way  by  means  of  the  rude 
machinery  in  existence,  the  cultivation  increased  from  an 
annual  production  of  less  than  a  million  pounds  to  more 
than  seven  million  bales  in  1890,  or  between  two  and 
three  thousand  times  as  much.  This  increase  went  on 
through  the  years,  in  response  to  the  ever-increasing 
demand  created  by  the  improvement  in  methods  and  the 
continuous  extension  of  the  manufacture.  At  the  present 
time  there  are  30,000  square  miles  under  cotton  culti- 
vation in  fourteen  southern  states,  and  in  the  Indian  Ter- 
ritory. The  larger  part  of  the  cotton  crop  has  always 
been  exported,  chiefly  to  England.  On  this  account,  the 
interests  of  the  South  very  early  in  the  century  induced 
her  representatives  in  Congress  to  oppose  the  protective 
tariffs,  enacted  at  various  times,  on  the  ground  that  they 
interfered  with  the  free  exchange  of  the  cotton  staple  for 
the  wares  and  goods  of  Europe,  and  so  tended  to  restrict 
the  field  of  operations,  and  prevent  as  great  a  develop- 
ment of  the  cultivation  of  cotton  as  would  otherwise 
occur.  On  the  other  hand,  the  manufacturers  of  New 
England  and  the  middle  states  clearly  perceived  the  ben- 
efits that  would  result  to  them  from  a  tariff.  The  contro- 
versies that  thereby  resulted  gave  rise  to  grave  sectional 
differences,  brought  forth  the  doctrine  of  nullification  on 
the  part  of  the  southern  leaders,  and  eventually  created 
the  conditions  that  engendered  the  War  of  the  Rebellion. 

Some  attempts  to  establish  the  cotton  manufacture, 
however,  were  made  in  the  South  during  the  early  years 
of  the  century.  At  Charlestown,  S.  C.,  the  South  Caro- 
lina Homespun  Company  was  organized  in  1808  with  a 
capital  of  $30,000.  The  first  cotton  factory  in  North 
Carolina  was  erected  in  1818  at  the  Falls  of  the  Tar,  on 
Pamlico  River,  Edgecombe  County,  and  the  second  near 
Lincolnton,  on  the  Catawba  River.  The  former  employed 
about  twenty  hands  in  1820,  and  operated  148  spindles. 
A  cotton  factory  was  established  at  Petersburg,  Va., 
in  1827,  and  some  time  afterward  two  large  mills  were 
built  at  Matoaca  four  miles  from  that  city.  Lexington, 
Kentucky,  had  in  1828  ten  cotton  factories,  and  ten  other 
mills  making  cotton  bagging,  and  the  same  year  a  mill 
was  started  at  Covington.  During  1828  several  factories 
were  started  at  various  places  in  Georgia.  The  corner 
stone  of  a  factory  was  laid  at  Athens,  Ga.,  March  26, 
1829.  This  mill  was  burned  soon  after  it  was  finished, 
but  was  immediately  rebuilt.  In  1831  factories  were  run- 
ning at  Nashville,  Tenn.,  and  Richmond,  Va.,  at  the 
latter  place  slave  labor  being  employed.  A  company 
was  formed  in  Mississippi  in  1832  to  build  a  cotton  mill, 
with  the  intention  also  of  employing  slaves.  At  Fayette- 


176 


THE  COTTON   CENTENNIAL. 


ville,  N.  C.,  a  mill  containing  1,000  spindles  was  started 
July  4,  1836.  During  the  same  year  two  factories,  each 
three  stories  high,  were  erected  on  the  Appomatox  River, 
four  miles  from  Petersburg,  Va.  In  1837  there  were 
small  factories  in  operation  in  North  Carolina  at  Greens- 
boro, Mocksville,  Haw  River  and  Cane  Creek.  In  1860 
in  the  southern  states  there  were  reported  to  be  158  cotton 
mills,  operating  290,359  spindles  and  6,713  looms,  with 
an  invested  capital  of  $8,104,587.  Of  this  number, 
North  Carolina  had  thirty-eight,  but  Georgia,  with  only 
thirty-three  mills,  did  considerable  more  manufacturing 
and  turned  out  nearly  one-third  of  the  entire  production. 

Since  the  war,  the  cotton  manufacture  in  the  South  has 
increased  to  five  or  six  times  its  former  amount,  and  this 
increase  has  been  much  more  marked  within  the  last 
decade.  The  number  of  spindles  reported  in  operation 
in  1889  was  over  1,600,000,  and  many  new  mills  were 
projected  or  in  course  of  erection.  The  factories  are 
generally  small  as  compared  with  northern  mills,  and  as 
yet  are  chiefly  devoted  to  the  making  of  the  coarser  grades 
of  goods  that  will  readily  sell  in  the  local  or  most  easily 
accessible  markets.  These  fabrics  consist  of  sheetings, 
shirtings,  drills,  cottonades,  osnaburgs,  cotton  duck, 
yarns,  twines,  etc.  Georgia  is  in  the  lead,  havirjg  442,000 
spindles  in  operation,  and  the  chief  centre  is  Augusta,  in 
which  city  and  its  neighborhood  there  are  twelve  estab- 
lishments. Other  important  places  in  Georgia  are 
Atlanta,  Athens  and  Columbus.  South  Carolina  has 
351,000  and  North  Carolina  321,000  spindles.  The  next 
mrtst  important  state  in  the  amount  of  manufacturing  is 
Tennessee,  with  116,000  spindles,  nearly  one-half  of  the 
business  being  carried  on  in  the  factories  of  Nashville. 
The  remainder  of  the  southern  states  all  have  less  than 
100,000  spindles  each  in  operation. 

Within  the  past  decade  the  development  of  the  cotton 
industry  has  been  materially  aided  in  the  South  by  the 
expositions  held  at  Atlanta,  Ga.,  New  Orleans,  and 
Louisville,  Ky.  In  a  letter  to  the  New  York  Herald  in 
the  autumn  of  1880.  Edward  Atkinson  called  attention 
to  defects  in  existing  modes  of  picking,  ginning,  c'eaning 
and  the  general  preparation  of  raw  cotton  for  market, 
and  made  the  suggestion  that  an  exhibition  be  held  at 
some  central  point  in  the  South  during  the  ensuing  year 
for  the  purpose  of  bringing  together  those  interested  in 
the  production  of  the  cotton  staple  and  in  the  manufac- 
ture of  cotton  goods.  As  a  result  of  this  suggestion,  an 
organization  was  formed  composed  of  both  northern  and 
southern  men,  and  was  chartered  April,  1881,  under  the 
name  of  the  International  Cotton  Exposition,  with  a 
capital  of  $200,000.  The  Exposition  was  opened  at 
Atlanta,  Ga.,  October  5,  1881,  the  buildings  being  located 
in  Oglethorpe  Park,  two  miles  from  the  centre  of  the  city. 
Cotton  machinery,  and  all  descriptions  of  cotton  fibres, 
products  and  fabrics,  as  well  as  other  textiles,  were  on 
exhibition  in  great  profusion,  and  the  great  and  varied 
resources  of  the  South  were  well  illustrated.  For  a 
period  of  eighty-six  days  the  Exposition  was  open,  being 
closed  December  31  ;  there  were  upward  of  1, 800  exhibit- 
ors and  286,895  visitors,  and  the  enterprise  was  a  success 
financially.  It  helped  very  largely  to  accelerate  manu- 
facturing throughout  the  South,  and  in  a  more  direct  way 


assisted  in  the  growth  of  Atlanta,  as  between  1876  and 
1886,  that  city  increased  in  population  from  21,789  to 
over  60,000.  The  exposition  buildings  were  converted 
into  factories,  in  1882,  and  are  now  operated  under  the 
name  of  "  The  Exposition  Cotton  Mills." 

At  Louisville,  Ky.,  the  Southern  Exhibition  was 
opened  August  I,  1883,  and  continued  open  100  days. 
It  was  mainly  a  display  of  the  various  cotton  fibres  and  of 
the  methods  of  cultivation,  ginning,  cleaning  and  other 
processes  connected  with  the  production  of  the  staple, 
and  was  in  a  great  measure  local  to  the  South. 

Such  was  the  success  of  the  Atlanta  Exposition  that  a 
desire  was  created  to  have  a  more  extensive  exhibition, 
and  one  that  would  also  partake  of  the  character  of  a 
centennial  of  the  culture  and  manufacture  of  cotton. 
As  a  foundation  for  this  feature  the  claim  was  made  that 
the  first  record  of  cotton  as  an  article  of  foreign  export 
from  the  United  States  was  the  shipment  in  1784  of  six 
bags,  from  Charleston,  S.  C.  In  October,  [§82,  the 
National  Cotton  Planters  Association  voted  to  hold  such 
an  exposition  during  1884  in  New  Orleans,  and  February 
10,  1883,  Congress  passed  an  act  incorporating  "The 
World's  Industrial  and  Cotton  Centennial  Exposition." 
A  loan  of  $1,000,000  was  made  by  the  United  States 
Government,  and  the  total  capital  raised  was  nearly 
$2,000,000.  The  Exposition  was  opened  December  16, 
1884,  and  closed  May  31,  1885.  The  main  building 
covered  thirty-three  acres  —  i  ,656,030  feet  —  and  was  the 
largest  ever  used  for  exhibition  purposes,  being  1,378  feet 
in  length  and  905  feet  wide,  while  there  were  many  other 
edifices  some  of  which  were  mammoth  structures.  These 
buildings  were  all  located  in  Upper  City  Park,  on  the 
banks  of  Mississippi  River,  four  and  a  half  miles  from  the 
centre  of  the  city.  The  main  building  was  devoted  to 
general  exhibits,  foreign  displays  and  machinery.  All 
phases  of  the  cotton  manufacture  were  elaborately  pre- 
sented by  the  latest  improved  machinery,  and  the  pro- 
cesses of  treating  raw  cotton,  sugar  cane  and  rice,  the 
great  staples  of  the  South,  were  thoroughly  exhibited. 
Extensive  exhibits  were  on  hand  from  nearly  all  Amer- 
ican countries,  Mexico  being  especially  well  represented, 
but  the  products  of  the  southern  states  in  infinite  variety 
formed  the  chief  feature,  and  elaboration  illustrations  of 
the  culture  of  cotton  were  given.  Many  European 
countries  had  extensive  exhibits.  While  not  a  financial 
success  as  far  as  paying  all  expenses,  the  Exposition  more 
than  repaid  the  South  for  all  outlays  in  the  great  improve- 
ments in  method  and  in  the  wide-spread  instruction  that 
resulted  through  its  agency. 

Very  little  cotton  manufacturing  is  done  in  any  of  the 
states  west  of  the  Atlantic  seaboard,  the  total  number  of 
spindles  in  all  this  great  country  from  Ohio  to  California 
being  less  than  in  some  small  Eastern  villages,  and 
not  so  great  as  in  a  number  of  the  great  corporations. 
Indiana  had  in  1889,  61,868  spindles,  while  Ohio,  Illi- 
nois and  Wisconsin  had  each  a  few  over  25,000,  and 
Iowa  had  less  than  10,000.  Michigan,  California  and 
Utah  reported  one  small  establishment  each,  and  the 
remaining  states  had  no  cotton  manufacturing.  The  fac- 
tories, too,  in  this  section  are  small  and  work  on  coarse 
goods. 


ryff^s^^uw 


FALL  RIVER  MACHINE  Co., 

FALL  RIVER,  MASS.,  U.  S.  A. 

COTTON  WACHINSRY 


RING  SPINNING  FRAMES  FOR  WARP  OR  FILLING. 

Cards,  Railway  Heads,  Drum  Spoolers,  Cone  Winders,  Drawing  Frames,  Looms,  etc.       Iron  Foundry  and 

OE>O.     H.     BUSH,    Treass. 


Boiler  Works. 


THOS.  HARKNESS, 

President. 


CALEB  SEAGRAVE, 

Vice-President. 


MflNUFAGTURERS 
National  Bank, 


PROVIDENCE,  R.  I. 


Capital,  $500,000. 

Undivided  Profits,          250,000. 


Personal  and  Business  Accounts  solicited  and  every  facility 
offered  consistent  with  conservative  Banking. 

Interest  Allowed   on    Daily   Balances. 

Prompt  and  Courteous  service  guaranteed  to  all. 

GILBERT  A.  PHILLIPS,  Cashier. 


AMERICAN 

National  Bank, 

97  Westminster  Street, 

PROVIDENCE,  R.  I. 


Capital, 


$1,437,650. 
i    120,000. 


Deposits  Received.      Interest  Paid 

on  Valuable  Accounts. 

Special    Rates  upon  Time  Certifi- 

cates of  Deposit. 

Solicited. 


F.  W.  CARPENTER,  President. 

H.  A.  HUNT,  Cashier. 


II 


KITSON 
MACHINE  CO 


LOWELL,  MASS. 


LATEST  IMPROVEMENTS 


COTTON  OPENERS  AND  LAPPERS. 

THE  PARKER  HAMMERLESS  SHOT  GUN ! 


At  the  Annual  Tournament 
of  1889,  held  at  Cannes, 
France,  the  grand  prize, 
consisting    of    2,000 
francs  and  a  valua- 
ble cup,  was  won 

with  a 
PARKER  HAMMERLESS. 


Semi  for  Illustrated 
Cirr  ular. 

New  York  Salesroom  : 
97   CHAMBERS   STREET. 


The  first  Parker  Hammer- 
less  Gun    made    won  the 
championship  of  Amer- 
ica at  Decatur,  111. 
In  the  1890  Tournament  ot 
expert  trap  shots  of  the 
country,    Eastern     vs. 
Western  Teams,  the 
highest  average  was 
made  with  a 

lo-gauge 
PARKER  HAMMKRLKSS. 


PARKER  BROTHERS,  MAKERS,  Meriden,  conn, 


faciuring  Co., 


MANUFACTURERS  OF 


VALVES  and  GATES 

For  Water,  Gas,  Steam,  Oil,  flmmonia,  flcicl,  Etc. 

Also,  Bronze  Seated  Valves  for  Super  Heated  Steam. 
Post  and  Flush  Gate  Fire  Hydrants. 


GENERAL  OFFICE  AND  WORKS: 
INDIAN  ORCHARD,  (SPRINGFIELD,)  Mass, 

Treasurer's  Oilier: 

72  Kilby  St.,  Mason  BuildiiifT,  Boston. 


Cliiciiuii  Ofliee: 

24  W.  Lake  Street. 


Ill 


GHas.  fl. 
Luther  &  GO., 


Improved  Yarn  Reel. 


Pawtuck6t,  R.  I. 


SEND    FOR   CATALOGUE. 


4-Color  Warp  Printing  Machine. 


Cloth  Stretcher. 


R.  RICHARDSON,  TREASURER: 


Heating,  Cooling  and  Purifying  of  Workrooms  a  Specialty. 

926, 928  &  930  Manton  Ave,,  Providence,  R,  I, 


Telephone  3927-2. 


From  1  to  Oft.  in  diameter. 


Manufacturers  of  Exhaust  Fans,  Blowers,  Ventila- 
tors, Galvanized  Iron  Pipes,  Tin  Cylinders. 
Drying  Cans,  Roving  Cans,  etc. 


Special  Blower  System  for  Hand- 
ling Cotton,  Wool  and  Fibrous 
Material. 


NORRIS  &  KEAGAN 

MANUFACTURERS  AND  WHOLESALE  DEALERS  IN 

HAIR.  FIPRE,  MCJ5K,  PALM  LEAP,  WGDL  *™  EXCEL5IOR 


MATTRESSES 


illlllilllllilllliiiiiiiiiiiiiliiiiiiiiiilliiiiiniiiiiiiiiii 

- 


HAIR  MATTRESSES  RENOVATED.         FEATHERS  OF  ALL   KINDS   FOR  SALE. 

Manufactory  and  Salesroom  No,  21  Exchange  Street,  up  stairs, 

PAWTUCKET,  R.  I. 


IV 


JEREMIAH  CLARK, 

DEALER  IN  MACHINERY. 


OOTTOW 

Our  Storage  Capacitv  is  over  Two  Acres  of  Floor  Surface. 
Always  in  Stock  a  Large  Supply  ready  for  immediate  delivery. 


a 


LOWELL,    Mass. 


EDWARD  H.  JACOBS'  MF'G  CO. 


EXCLUSIVELY  MILL  SUPPLIES. 


Manufacturers  who  are  not  using  our  LUBRICATING  COMPOUNDS  in  our 
IMPROVED  GREASE  CUPS  are  simply  behind  the  times. 

WRITE  FOR  TESTIMONIALS  AND  FREE  SAMPLES. 

No     Dripping^    on    to    Grootls    after    Axloptiiig-    Our    Method. 

CHARLES  S.  BUSH  COMPANY, 


2O  Exchange  Place, 


Providence,  R.  I. 


A.  D.  CLARK 
SHUTTLE  CO. 

MANUFACTURERS    OF 

Power  and  Hand  Loom 

SHUTTLES 

illle,  Coon. 


THADDEUSS.GOBB&CO. 


DEALERS  IN 


And  Manufacturers'  Supplies, 

36  CENTRAL  STREET,  Lowell,  Mass, 


R.  8.  LflfflROP. 


MANUFACTURER 
or 


DC  C  FVC    FOP  GOttOn  and  \  l-eice,  Section  and  Warper 


Woolen  Weaving.!  Reeds> and  Slasher  Combs- 

REPAIRING  NEATLY  AND  PROMPTLY  ATTENDED  TO. 

H.  V.  LATHROP,  Manager,  -  -  Danielsonville,  Conn. 


ISAAC  L.  GOFF, 

REAL  ESTATE, 

Mortgages  and  Insurance. 

AUCTIONEER. 
25  Custom  House  Street,  Providence,  R.  I. 

Special  Attention  irlven  to  the  Foreclosure  of  Mortgages  and  to  the  transfer  of  REAL 
Telephone  679.  ESTATE. 


J.  H. 

Dy6-tte6  and  Laundry, 

OFFICE,  8  PARK  PLACE,  PAWTUCKET,  R.  I. 

Every  Description  of  Dyeing  and  Cleansing  at  Short  Notice. 


ISRAEL  F.  BROWN,  Prest.  EDWARD  T.  BROWN,  Treas. 

THE  BROWN  COTTON  GIN  CO. 

MANUFACTURERS    OF 

)V  MD  [INTERS  FOR  OIL  HILLS. 

,    Oonn. 


J.  P.  COLLINS  &  CQ.,NORWICH.CONN.. 


BUILD 


THE  BEST  WATER  WHEELS, 

THE  BEST  WATER  WHEEL  GOVERNORS, 

THE  BEST  FREIGHT  ELEVATORS, 


ASK  ABOUT  THEM. 


HARTFORD 
Decorating    Company, 

Decorations  for  Fairs,  Balls,  Festivals  and  Public 
Celebrations. 


FLA.C3-S,    BUZtsTTIZtTO-,    ETO. 

J.  ALEX.  McCLUNIE, 
222  &  224  ASYLUM  ST.,  HARTFORD,  CONN. 


V 


ESTABLISHED  1864 


Providence,  J^.  I.       ....  INCORPORATED  ma. 


Builders  of  Harris-fjorliss  pngines. 

WITH  WALTER  F.  BROWN'S  PATENTED  IMPROVEMENTS. 

Forty-Five  Regular  Sizes,  From  4O  to  2,OOO  Horse-Power. 


ONE  THOUSAND  HORSE-POWER  CROSS  COMPOUND  CONDENSING  ENGINE. 


LL  sizes  have  the  Walter  F.  Brown  Releasing  Gear,  also,  our  New  Design  of  CROSSHEAD, 
PILLAR  BLOCK  and  ENGINE  FRAME,  with  its  Heavy  Intermediate  Support.  Also, 
Noiseless  Dash  Pots,  and  many  other  improvements  in  design  and  construction,  with 
enlarged  CRANK-PINS  and  MAIN  JOURNALS  and  CROSSHEAD  GIB  surfaces.  In 
fact,  all  wearing  surfaces  are  materially  enlarged,  and  every  detail  has  received  the 
most  careful  attention,  insuring  ECONOMY  in  the  use  of  STEAM  and  REGULARITY  in  SPEED. 

All  oil  cups  are  of  glass,  with  nickel-plated  trimmings,  and  sight  feed,  and  can  be  filled  while 
engine  is  running.  We  also  use  the  BEST  make  of  Cylinder  Sight  Feed  Lubricator. 

We  construct  these  engines,  either  Condensing,  Non-Condensing,  or  Compounded  in  various 
forms,  jacketed  or  unjacketed. 

Our  engines  are  adapted  for  use  in  Electric  Light  and  Power  Plants,  Silk,  Cotton  and  Woolen 
Mills,  Flouring  Mills,  Lumber  Mills,  Rubber  Mills,  and  any  place  requiring  regular  speed  and  an 
economical  use  of  steam.  Small  parts  are  made  interchangeable  and  kept  in  stock. 


We  solicit  correspondence,  and  when  desirable,  personal  attention  will  be  given 

to  location  and  arrangement  of  plants. 


VI 


Kilburn,  Lincoln  &  Co., 


LOOMS 


-FOR- 


Cotton  and  Silk 


The  Seaconnet  Mills,    Fall  River,  wove  in  301  days  of  10  hours  each,  14,329,219  yards  of  64  x  64  goods  on  928 
of  our  "  New  High  Speed  Looms,"  a  daily  average  of  51  3-10  yards  per  loom  per  day. 


[HUSIC  ILL  BUILDING.  PRWTMET,  R.  1. 

PRESIDENT,  DANIEL  G.  LITTLEFIELD. 

VICE-PRESIDENT,  ROBERT  CUSHMAN. 

TREASURER,  OLNEY  ARNOLD. 


DIRECTORS. 

JOSEPH  E.  DISPEAU, 
PARDON  E.  TILLINGHAST, 
GEORGE  L.  WALKER, 

HENRY  B.  METCALF. 


EDWIN  JENCKES, 
EDMUND  S.  MASON, 
WILLIAM  H.   PARK. 


STATEMENT  NOVEMBER  18, 1890, 


Real  Estate  and  Mortgages, 
Invested  in  Stocks  and  Bonds, 
Personal  and  Collateral  Loans, 
Cash  on  hand, 


Amount  due  depositors, 
Profits  on  hand, 


•     $984,580.03 

195,750.00 

83,550  oo 

7S.o83  45 

$1.338963-48 


$111,205.76 


The  Bank  is  open  for  business  from  9  o'clock  A.  M.  to  3  o'clock 
p.  M.,  and  on  Saturday  evenings  from  7  to  9  o'clock. 

Dividends  payable  on  the  third  Mondays  in  January  and  July. 

Deposits  made  on  or  before  the  third  Mondays  in  January,  April, 
July,  and  October,  will  draw  three  or  six  months'  interest,  as  the  case 
may  be  if  not  drawn  out  before  the  next  dividend  day. 

OLNEY  ARNOLD,  TREASURER. 
PAWTUCKET,  NOVEMBER  18,  1890. 


ESTABLISHED   1857. 

THOMPSON  & 


MANUFACTURERS    OF 


LflGE  and  PICKER 

RAW  HIDE  LEATHER. 


GEO.  WEATHERHEAD. 


JOHN  E.  THOMPSON. 


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VIII 


L1TTLEF1ELD  MANUFACTURING  CO., 

COTTON  •-.  SPINNERS, 


.  z., 


MANUFACTURE 


FIRST  QUALITY  COP  AND  SKEIN  YARNS  FOR  HOSIERY, 

THREE  CORD  THREADS   FOR   SPOOLING,  IN  ALL  NUMBERS,  SEAMING  COTTONS,  HARNESS  AND  PRINTERS'  TWINES, 

SKEIN  (or  pound)  SEWING  COTTONS. 

SINGLE  AND  DOUBLED  YARNS,  IN  EVERY  STYLE  OF  TWIST  AND  FINISH  USED   BY  SILK,  WOOLEN  OR  COTTON 

GOODS  MANUFACTURERS. 


JOHN  J.  KENYON, 


PAWTUCKET,  R.  I., 

MANUFACTURES  OF 


FOR  MANUFACTURERS'  USES. 


Spool   Cotton  put  up  on  Machine  and  Operator  Spools  and  on  Paper 

Tubes.     Boot,  Shoe  and  Corset  Lacings. 

Also,  Agent  PAWTUCKET  TAPE  CO.,  Manufacturers  of 

SUPERFINE  TAPES. 


PAWTUCKET  HAIR  CLOTH  CO.'S  FACTORY,  Central  Falls. 
Lithographic  Papers  and  Chroma  Boards  are  Specialties. 

Pawtucket  Glazed  Paper  Co. 

MANUFACTURERS  OF 

Glazed  and  Plate  Papers 

PAWTUCKET,  R.  I. 

A.  P.  MARTIN  &  CO., 


OF  EVERY  DE- 
SCRIPTION. 


DEALERS  IN  ALL  KINDS  OF 


Hardware,  •  flgriciiliwl  •  Implements, 

AND  CARPENTERS'  AND  MACHINISTS'  TOOLS  AND  FINDINGS, 
57  Central  Street,  Central  Falls,  R.  I. 

TELEPHONE  CONNECTION. 


ESTABLISHED  1882. 


H  I 

Jl«     L. 

BICYCLES 


In  Great  Variety,  including  the 
"COL.UMBIAS"  and  "VICTORS." 

Old  Slater  Mill.  7  Slater  Avenue, 

(Off  North  Main  St.)  PAWTUCKET,  R.  I. 


During  the  week  of  the  ' '  Cotton  Centenary  "  the  question  was  asked 
by  many,  where  do  you  have  your  Laundry  done?    The  answer  was : 

THE  TROY  LAUNDRY 

is  the  place  where  we  have  our  work  done.     It  is  the  best  Laundry  in 
the  State.     Try  them,  and  you  will  stay  with  them. 

MERITHEW  &  KINNEY,  Proprietors. 
25  and  29  High  St.,  Pawtucket,  R.  I. 

OLNEY  &  PAYNE  BROS. 

COAL, 


STANDARD  GRADES  OF 


LEH1GH,  LACKAWANNA 


AND 


SCHUYLRILL  COAL, 

FOR  DOMESTIC  AND  STEAM  PURPOSES.     QUALITY 
AND  QUANTITY  GUARANTEED. 

25  EAST  AVL,  PAWTUCKET. 
GRAY  STEAM  BOILER  CO. 


Manufacturers  of 

Steam  and  Hot  Water 

<JBOILERS> 

OF  ALL  KINDS. 

Also,  Tanks,  Kiers,  Kettles,  Stand  ]  ipes 
Penstocks,  Cupolas,  and  the 

GflflY  IU1PROVEO  FIRE  ESCflPE, 

And  Patent  Steel  Front, 

Which  does  away  with  Mouth  Pieces  or 
shutes. 

Repairing  Promptly  Attended  to- 

Central  Falls,  R.  I. 

Telephone  4-119-;!.  P.  O.  Box  530. 

JOHN  F.  GRAY,  Manager. 
T.  F.  THOMPSON,  Foreman. 


IX 


INCORPORATED  1889. 


Pawtucket  Dyeing  and  Bleaching  Company, 

BLEACHERS  AND  DYERS 

OF — 

Cotton  and   Cotton  Tarns,  Stockinet!  and  Jersey  Cloth. 

COLORED  and   BLEACHED  YARNS  FOR  SALE. 

OFF£IETH  BLODGETT  &  ORSWELL  CO., 

Manufacturers  of  Glazed  Yarns, 

E   G  BLODGETT,  Pres        28    BAYLEY    STREET,    PAWTUCKET,    R.    I.     E.  W.  ORSWELL,  Trea.. 


J.  N.  POLSEY  &  CO., 


MANUFACTURERS  OF 


PaoKino  Gases  *  SHOCKS. 

Confectionery,  Spice,  Jewelry,  Salt 
and  Soap  Boxes. 


LOCK  CORNER  BOXES  A  SPECIALTY. 


PAWTUCKET,  RHODE  ISLAND. 


PRESIDENT,  H.  CONANT.  VICE-PRESIDENT,  JUDE  TAYLOR. 

TREASURER,  CHARLES  P.  MOIES. 


TRUSTEES : 


GIDEON   L.    SPENCER, 
GEORGE   A.    MUMFORD, 
GEORGE    M.    THORNTON, 
LUCIUS    B.    DARLING, 
CHARLES    B'.    PAYNE, 


EDWIN    A.    PERRIN, 
LYMAN   M.    DARLING, 
CHARLES   P.    MOIES. 
JOHN  A.    ARNOLD, 
ISAAC    SHOVE, 


W.    D.    S.    HAVENS. 


Dividends  payable  January  ijth  and  July  I5th. 
Deposits  made  on  or  before  the  I5th  of  January,  April,  July  and 
October,  go  upon  interest  from  the  first  of  the  quarter. 

CHARLES  P.  MOIES,  Treasurer. 


Excelsior  Loom  Reed  Works, 

Patentees  and  Sole  Manufacturers  of 

Adamson's  Flexible  Bevel  Dent  REEDS, 

REINFORCED  with  SOLDER, 


ESPECIALLY  DESIGNED  FOR  WEAVING 


Fine  Worsteds,  Woolens  and  Fancy  Cotton  Goods. 


ALSO,  DEALERS  IN 


Pirn 


EDWARD  ADAMSON,  PROPRIETOR. 

Factory,  Broad  Street,  nearR.  R.  Station,  Pawtucket,  R.  L 


X 


ROBERT  D.  MASON. 


FREDERIC  R.  MASON. 


Robert  D.  Mason  &  Co., 

BLEACHERS    AND   DYERS 


OF 


Spool  Threads,  Knitting  Cotton,  Cords,  Braids,  Tapes   and  all  kinds  of  Single   and  Two   Ply   Yarns.     Indigo 
Blues,  Aniline  Blacks,  and  Fast  Black  for  Milling  purposes.     Also  Woolen  and  Worsted  Yarns  and 

Braids  of  every  description. 

No-  7S  EAST  AVENUE,  PAWTUCKET,  R.  I. 


All  Goods  in  Process  Insured  against  loss  by  fire. 


ESTABLISHED  1S44. 


INCORPORATED  1886.        "CORNER     STORE.' 


[ 


COMPANY, 

105  Exchange  St.,  Pawckei,,  R.  I 


MANUFACTURERS    OF 


I 


Printers',  Engravers'  and  Photographers' 
Cards  and  Stereoscopic  Mounts. 


WE  MAKE  A  SPECIALTY 

Of  Furnishing  Stock  for  Jacquard  Cards  in  Sheets  or  Cut  to 

Different  Sizes  in  various  grades  and 

Thicknesses  as  Wanted. 

Cards  furnished  in  Continuous  Strips  of  any  length,  width  and  thick- 
ness desired.     Also  stock  for  Tag  Manufacturers. 

LOWELL,  EMERSON,  Pres't.     WALTER  H.  STEARINS,  Sec'y  <&  Trcas. 


F.  Eugene  Baiter  &  Go., 


H 


DEALERS  IN 


ARDWAR 


E 


Cutlery* 


E  MAKE  A  SPECIALTY  OF 


BUILDERS  HARDWARE 

192  Main  Street,  cor.  East  Ave., 

PAWTUCKET,  R.  I. 


Home  Bleach  and  Dye  Works, 

PETER  B.  MCMANUS,  PROP. 

DYERS  AND  BLEACHERS  OF  COTTON  YARNS 

IN  SKEIN  AND  WARP. 

Warps  Dyed  and  Beamed  at  shortest  notice  in  all  the  Analine  Colors  and  various  Shades  of  Indigo  Blue.      Colored  Yarns  furnished  on  Warper 
or  Jack  Spools.  Fast  Blacks  for  Web  and  Plush  Trade  a  specialty.         CAPACITY,  17,000  LBS.  DAILY. 

WORKS  AT  VALLEY  FALLS  AND  PAWTUCKET. 

Correspondence  Solicited.     Address,  Pawtucket,  R.  I. 


XI 


LEBANON  MILL  CO. 


ESTABLISHED  IN  1859. 


FOR  RUBBER  BOOT  and  SHOE  LININGS,  JERS1ES,  DRESS 

SHIELDS,  CORSET  CLOTHS,  Etc..  Etc. 

R.  I 


See  Page  103. 


H.  H.  &  P.  C.  SHELDON 

Commission  Merchants. 

REAL  ESTATE  AND  MORTGAGE 

Brokers, 


RECORD  BUILDING. 


Fawtucket,  R.  I. 


George  L  Walker. 


1 


Thomas  M.  Sweetland. 


-  • 


HOUSE 


PAINTERS, 

AND  MANUFACTURERS  OF  AND  DEALERS  IN 


Painting  and  Papering  done  at 
Short  notice  and  in  the  Best  Style. 

Windows,  Doors  and  Blinds,  and 
Patent  Picture  Rod  Mouldings  for 
sale  and  furnished  to  order. 


23  EAST  AVENUE, 

PAWTUCKET,  R.  I. 


TO  THE  CITY  OF  PAWTUCKET. 

Record  Building,  330  Main  Street. 

Official  Printers  to  the  Cotton  Centenary  Committee  during 
the  Great  Celebration. 


B 


PAWTUCKET,  R.  I. 


VICE  PRESIDENT:  NAHUM  BATES. 

SECRETARY  AND  TREASURER;  GEO.  W.  NEWELL. 

TRUSTEES:    JOHN  A.  ADAMS,  STEPHEN  A   JENKS,  C.  C.  BURNHAM, 

THOMAS  P.  BARNEFIELD,  JOHN  R.  FALES,  HENRY  A. 

STEARNS,  A.  A.  MANN. 

Deposits  made  on  or  before  the  1-5 th  day  of  January,  April.  July  and 
October,  will  participate  in  the  earnings  from  that  day  if  allowed  to 
remain  in  the  Bank  until  the  next  dividend.  Dividends  payable  Jan- 
uary I5th  and  July  I5th.  Bank  open  on  Saturday  evenings  from  7  to 
S  o'clock. 


XII 


C.LHZELIE, 

Reed  and  Harness 


MANUFACTURER. 


MANUFACTURERS'  SUPPLIES. 

Sole  Proprietor  of 

Lazelle's  Patent  Compression  Rolls, 

For  Slasher  and  Dresser  Machines  for  Cotton  Warps 
to  make  more  Perfect  Salvages. 

Nos.  14  and  16  South  Main  Street, 

WOONSOCKET,    R,   I, 


ESTABLISHED  1845. 


(SUCCESSOR  TO  R.  R.  CARPENTER,) 
BUILDER  OF  THE 


PAWTUCKET,  Rhode  Island. 


For  Cotton   and   Woolen   Yarns,   Thread,   Twines,    Etc. 


WITH  all  the  latest  improvements,  in- 
cluding our  improved  method  of 
constructing  the  Swifts,  which  prevents 
them  from  Fagging,  whether  in  use  or  not. 
We  would  call  special  attention  to  our 
new  Patent  A  d  justable  Measuring  A  ttach- 
ment  for  making  King-Tie  Skeins  of  any 
desired  number  of  yards  without  any 
change  of  gears ;  requires  but  a  few  min- 
utes to  change  from  one  size  of  skein  to 
another  size.  It  can  be  attached  to  our 
Heels  already  in  use.  This  is  the  only 
concern  in  the  United  States  making  a 
sole  business  of  the  construction  of  Reels. 
We  also  make 

Winder  or  Balling  Reel, 

For  Winding  material  that  is  to  be  made  Into 
balls  to  work  in  connection  with  Balling- 
Machines.  Better  work  being  produced  where 
Balling  Machines  draw  from  a  Reel  than  when 
balled  directly  from  the  bobbin. 


PATENTS. 


U.  S.  and 
Foreign. 


JOSEPH  A,  MILLER  &  CO., 

Solicitors  and  (ElxJ3erts, 

25  Butler  Exchange.  Providence,  R.  I. 

Reror's  and  Arguments  furnished  in  Patent  litigation.  Assistance  and 
Counsel  rendered  as  experts  in  patent  cases.  European,  Canadian,  and  Ameri- 
can Patents  for  Inventions,  Designs  and  Trade-Marks  procured  promptly. 
Researches  made  to  determine  the  validity  of  American  and  Foreign  Patents. 


FIRST  NATIONAL  BANK, 

47  WESTMINSTER  ST. 

PROVIDENCE,  R.  I. 

Capital,  $500,000.      Surplus  and  Profits, $140,000. 


UNITED  STATES  DEPOSITORY. 

Interest  Allowed  on  Deposits, 

H.  H.  THOMAS,  Pres.      G.  L.  UTTLEFIELD,  Vice-Pres. 
C.  E.  LAPHAM,  Cashier. 


XIII 


/.  FOR  /. 


(DOMG 


o        o        o 


.'.  AND  ,'. 


000 


Cannot  be  Equaled  for  Com- 
fort, Convenience  and 
Economy. 


PROVIDENCE  GAS  CO., 

15  Market  Square. 


OLNEY  BROTHERS, 

7  SOUTH  WATER  ST., 

PROVIDENCE,  R.  I. 

-OILS,- 

In  addition  to  a  full  line  of  Lubricating  and  Illuminating  Oils, 
offer  the  following  specialties  : 


The  Binghampton  Cylinder  Oil  was  the  first  perfect  cylinder  oil 

manufactured,  has  always  stood  at  the  head,  and  has 

increased  in  popularity  every  year  of  the 

eighteen  we  have  sold  it. 


Our  Own  Brands. 


BEST  HEAVY  MACHINE  OIL. 
GERMAN  SPINDLE  OIL 
BEST  LOOM  OIL. 

Engine  Oils,  Sperm  Oil,  Parafine  Oil. 

Crystal  Head  Light  Oil,  TheSafe8t-SrSo1i."ld  Bestlllumin- 

Lubricating  Black  Oils,  Lard  Oil,  Wool  Oil. 

WHITLOCn  PLOmBHGO  LUBRICATING  GREflSE.  Etc.,  Etc. 

Satisfaction  Guaranteed.     Correspondence  solicited  and  all  orders  by 
mail  or  telepbone  promptly  and  carefully  attended  to. 


RHODE  ISLAND 

Hospital  •  Trust  •  Co,, 

60  South  Main  Street, 

PROVIDENCE,  R.  I. 

INCORPORATED  MAY,   1867. 

Capital,  $1,000,000. 

HERBERT  J.  WELLS,  President, 

SAM'L  R.  DORRANCE,  Vice -President, 

EDWARD  S.  CLARK,  Secretary. 


AMOS  C.  BARSTOW, 
CHRISTOPHER  LIPPITT, 
ROYAL  C.  TAFT, 
ROBERT  H.  I.  GODD.VRD, 
GEORGE  W.  R.  MATTESON, 
SAMUEL  S.  SPRAGUE, 
WILLIAM  D.  ELY, 
ROBERT  I.  GAMMELL, 
WILLIAM  BINNEY, 
WILLIAM  B.  WEEDEN, 


ROWLAND  HAZARD, 
EDWARD  D.  PEARCE, 
HORATIO  N.   CAMPBELL, 
ROBERT  KNIGHT, 
JOHN  W.  DANIELSON, 
HERBERT  J.  WELLS, 
JOHN  C.  PEGRAM, 
LYAIAN  B.  GOFF, 
EUGENE  W.  MASON. 


XIV 


CALIGRAPH.  TYPEWRITER 


Simplest,  most  durable'and  rapid  [type- 
writer in  the  world.  Especial  attention  is 
called  to  our  NEW  "NO.  3  SPECIAL." 
This  machine  embodies  all  the  good  feat- 
ures of  our  Standard  No.  2  machine  and  has 
many  new  and  valuable  improvements. 


W.M.  Belcher  &  Co., 


We  carry  a  full  line  of  typewriter  sup- 
plies for  all  machines,  paper,  ribbons, 
carbon,  etc. 

Stenographers  and  operators  furnished. 

Send  for  circulars  or  call  and  examine 
machines. 

55  Westminster  Street,  Providence,  R.  I. 
36  Bromfieid  street,  Boston,  mass. 


(I 
U 


(1 
I) 


PROVIDENCE,  NORFOLK  &  BALTIMORE  STEAMSHIP  LINE. 

FOR  ALL  POINTS 


Steamers  comprising  this  line  will  sail  from  Providence  Tuesday  and  Saturday.      Time  of  departure, 
6  p.  M.     Steamer  Berkshire,  2,200  tons,  Capt.  Foster,  Saturdays;  Steamer  Alleghany, 

2,200  tons,  Capt.  Parker,  Tuesdays. 

TH6S6  Steamers  have  very  fine  accommodations  tor  First-class  Passengers. 

Fares,  including  State-Rooms  and  Meals,  very  low.     Inspection  invited. 

Railroad  connections  made  at  Norfolk,  Va.,  Newport  News,  Va.,  West  Point,  Va.,  and  Baltimore,  Md.,  for  all  points  South,  West, 
and  Southwest.  Through  bills  of  lading  issued  via  Virginia  and  Tennessee  Air  Line,  Norfolk  and  Western  Railroad,  Atlantic  Coast 
and  Seaboard  Air  Line,  Piedmont  and  Paintrock  Line,  Chesapeake  and  Ohio  Railroad  and  Kanawha  Dispatch,  Baltimore  and  Ohio  Rail- 
road and  Continental  Line,  Merchants  and  Miners  Transportation  Company's  Savannah  Steamers. 


Tickets  secured  at  STEAMER'S  OFFICE,  99  INDIA  STREET. 

On  sale  at  W.  H.  CHURCH  &  CO.'S,  I  WEYBOSSET  STREET, 

And  at  E.  G.  WINDSOR'S,  2  WEYBOSSET  STREET. 

Mark  goods  via  P.  ST.  &  B.  Line.    For  rates,  passage  or  freight  apply  to 

E.  H.  ROCKWELL,  Agent,  Lonsdale  Wharf,  Providence. 

J.  C.  WHITNEY,  Traffic  Manager,  Baltimore,  Md. 


WM.G.HEATH&CO. 

Manufacturers  of  and  Dealers  in 

Low  PRESSURE 

-BOILERS- 

FOR  HEATING 

Public  Buildings,    Private  Dwellings, 
—Etc.— 

175  Eddy  Street, Providence,  R.  I. 


S. 


Manufacturer  and  Wholesale  Dealer  In 


Brooms  and  Brushes 

SHOP:  15  HIGH  STREET. 

Residence,  19  High  Street. 
IP^WTTJOIKIIET,    IR,.    I. 

The  strongest  and  most  durable  Mill  Brooms  for  Manufacturers' 
use  generally  on  the  market  to-day.     My  brooms  took 
premium  at  R.  I.  State  Fair. 


XV 


FROM 


Driven  of  Drilled  (Hells. 

An  abundant  supply  guaranteed  in  all  cases,  or  no  compensation  required.  Get  one  of  our  eight  (8) 
foot  Wheels  and  do  your  Pumping  easily,  or  get  a  twelve  (12)  foot  Geared  Mill  and  saw  your  wood,  cut 
your  ensilage,  grind  your  grain,  etc.  We  send  these  Mills  to  responsible  parties  on  Thirty  Days'  Trial,  we 
paying  freight  both  ways  if  they  prove  unsatisfactory. 


We  are  the  largest  dealers  in  Water  Supply  Goods  in  the  State,  such  as  Wind,  Steam,  Oil  Engines, 
Buckeye  Forced-Lift  Pumps,  Cotton  and  Rubber  Hose,  Machine  Oil,  Belting,  Wrought  Iron  Pipes  and  Fit- 
tings, Pine,  Cypress  or  Oak  Tanks,  Lawn  Mowers,  etc.,  etc.  Plans  and  estimates  made  for  complete  supplies. 
CORRESPONDENCE  SOLICITED. 

PHILIP  N.  LOTHROP  &  CO., 

17  FENNER  ST.,  PROVIDENCE,  R.  I. 


XVI 


3  HILL 

PROVIDENCE,  R.  I., 

Manufacturers  of 

COTTON  Pins. 


Cotton  Can  Trimmings, 
Waste  Cans, 
Card  Screens, 


Galvanized 
Iron  Pails, 


Boxes 


A  I  MI  I  Line  of 

CAN  SHEETS 

Ililr-  Patent  Bottom,  Constantly  on 

Hand. 


Office  and  Factory,  40  Westfield  St. 

J.E.&H.L.  BROWN, 

Manufacturers  of 

MACHINE-MADE 

Paper  Cop  Tabes, 

40O  Washington  St., 

PROYI&ENCE,  R.  I. 


FRANK  E.  WILSON. 


WM.  J.  MASON. 

MASON  &  WILSON, 

Manufacturers  of 

GOLD,  SILVER  flND  PLATED 

ScarlFins,Lac6Pins,EarDroDS 

And  BRACELETS. 

SHELL  JEWELRY  A  SPECIALTY. 


No.  4  Mathewson  Street,  Room  No.  4, 

PROVIDENCE,  R.  I. 


WILLIAM  HUSTON, 


Manufacturer  of 


iimiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimiMiiiiMiiiniiMiiiiiiiiimiiiiiiiiiiniiiiiiiiiiiii 


ALSO, 


No.  7  Point  Street, 


PROVIDENCE,  R.  I. 


P.  O-  Box  749. 


ANNOUNCEMENTS,  ETC., 

DESIGNED  and  ENGRAVED. 


Fine  Commercial,  Book  and  Job 

Printers. 

A  Specialty  of  Engraved  or  Lith 

ographed    Bill    and    Letter 

Heads,  Business  Cards, 

Bank  Checks,  Etc. 

General  Mill  Printing  Specially 

Solicited. 


The  Largest  Establishment 

of  its  Kind  in  New 

England. 


Photographers    of    Machinery, 
Buildings  and  Kindred 

Subjects. 

Stationery,  Embossing,  Copper- 
plate and  Fine  Commer- 
cial Printing. 

We  are  prepared  to  do  the  best 
work  in  Engraving,  either 
Steel,  Wood,  Half-tone,  or  the 
various  Photo-processes,  De- 
signing, Mechanical  and  Pat- 
ent Office  Draughting.  Elec- 
trotyping  at  Lowest  Rates. 

Perfection  In  Quality.     Prompt  Delivery.     T^ow  Prices. 

We  make  a  Leading  Specialty  of  Wood  Cuts,  Photo-Engravings  and 
Electrotypes  of  Machinery  and  Mechanical 

Inventions  at  Lowest  Rates. 

The  Engraving  and  Printing  of  Manufacturers'  Catalogues  a  Specialty. 
NO  ORDERS  TOO  LARGE.     NONE  TOO  SMALL. 


XVII 


NICHOLSON  FILE  Co. 

PROVIDENCE,  R.  I.,  U.S.  A. 


.  NICHOLSON      FILE    UU... 


Works  at  Providence,  R.  I. 


m 

2 

0 


Works  at  Pawtucket,  R.  I. 


XVIII 


'§  Improved  Waste  Duster. 

Sfl 


HIS  machine,  which  is  now  in  use  in 
some  of  the  best  mills  in  seventeen 
States  and  in  Canada, 

Is  Recommended  by  flu 


-AS 


1 1 


U     I 


For  Cleaning  Waste   (either  Wool  or 
Cotton),  but  is 

ESPECIALLY   RECOMMENDED 

FOR 

WOOL  Mil  WASTE. 

SEND  FOR  CIRCULAR. 


li      I  •    V*    1  •    w* 


WESTERLY,  R.  I. 


JARVIS  ENGINEERING  CO., 

61  OLIVER  ST.,  BOSTON, 

ENGINEERS^CONTRACTORS 

*   For  Complete  Outfits  of  Motive  Power. 


SPECIALTIES. 

Armington  &  Sims'  Engine,  Korting  Injector,  Jarvis  Patent 

Furnace,  Sheffield  Grate  Bars, 
Patent  Shaking  Grates, 


-AND- 


OTHER  STEAM  SUPPLIES. 


XIX 


New  Patent  Cotton  Opener 


Patented  by  JILLSON  &  PALMER,  Willimantic,  Conn. 


The  Patentees  having  greatly  improved  their  NEW  PATENT 
COTTON  OPENER,  respectfully  invite  manufacturers  wishing 
Cotton  Openers  to  exan.ine  the  same.  Being  built  with  Dust 
Pan,  Apron,  Feed  and  Delivery,  it  takes  but  little  power,  and 
will  not  injure  the  staple  of  the  cotton. 

This  new  opener  is  a  great  improvement  on  any  machine  used 
for  the  same  purpose,  being  used  by  some  of  the  largest  Cotton 
Spinners  in  New  England. 


Successors  to 
JILLSON  &  PALMER, 


WM.  C.  JILLSON  &  SON, 

=     =  =WlLLIM ANTIC,  CONN. 


GEORGE  SMALES, 
Stair  Builder  an<i  Screen  Manufacturer 

Dealer  in  all  kinds  of  Newel  Posts,  Balusters,  Hand  Rails,  Etc. 

Turning,  Band  SawinK,  Planfnir  and  Job  Work  Promptly  Attended  to.      All  Kinds  of  Door  aud  Window  Screens 
Made  and  Fitted  to  Order.    Estimates  cheerfully  given  on  all  Kinds  of  work. 
Manufacturer  of  the  Best  sliilinu  Screen  Made. 

"Worlds,  JVo.  S2   Plecijscixvt   St.,       PAWTUCKET,  R.  I. 


WILLIAM  B.  CARR, 


Window*  Blinds 
Repaired. 

Jobbing  done  at  short 
notice  and  on  the  most 
reasonable  terms. 

Orders  respectfully 
solicited  and  promptly 
attended  to. 


22  Slater'Ave,  rear  Court  House,  Pawtucket. 

OTIS  s.  PIERCE, 


Successor  to  J.  8.  CAPRON, 


WOOD  TURNING,  AND  JOBBING  OF  AIL  KINDS. 

MILL  WORK  A  SPECIALTY. 

Rear  No.  56  East  Avenue,  Pawtucket,  R,  I. 


OF  ALL  KINDS, 

Made  *  and  *  Repaired. 
Nos.  6  AND  7  FRONT  STREET, 

PAWTUCKET,  R.  I. 


Lunch  Room 


9  NORTH  MAIN  STREET, 

PAWTUCKET,   R.  I. 


Each  Dish  on  the  Bill  of  Fare  5  Cents, 

Customers  Served  Promptly. 
OPEN  FROM  6  A.  M.  TO  ii  P.  M. 


XX 


1S66— TWENTY  FOUR  YEARS— 1890 


THE  LADD 


STANDARD  WATCH  CASES 


LADD  WATCH  CASE  CO., 


-MANUFACTURERS    OF    THE- 


CKLKBRATKD 

Ladd  Patent  Standard  Gold  Stiffened  WATCH  CASES. 

THE  BEST  WITHOUT  EXCEPTION. 


ASK  YOUR  DEALER  FOR  THEM  AND  TAKE  NO  OTHER.    <t>    SPECIAL  DESIGNS  MADE  TO 
ORDER  FOR  SOCIETY  AND  INDIVIDUAL  PRESENTS. 


Factory,  104,  106  &  108  Eddy  Street,  Providence,  R.  I. 


NEW  YORK  OFFICE:    11  MAIDEN  LANE. 


C.  B.  MANVILLE.  PRESIDENT. 


XXI 

F.  B.  MOTT,  VIC^-PRESIOENT, 


JOHN  B.  ALLEN,  SECRETARY  *ND  TREASURER. 


MANVILLE  COVERING  Co., 


MANUFACTURERS  OF   THE 


SHEEP  WOOL  CEMEN1 


-AND- 


SECTIONAL  COVERINGS, 

For  Boilers,  Steam  Pipes,  and  all  Hot  or  Cold  Surfaces  in  Manu- 
factories, Public  Buildings,  Halls,  Hotels,  Residences,  Etc. 


Mode  of  Application. 


Office  and  Manufactory: 

FOOT  OF  PITMAN  STREET,     • 


PROVIDENCE,  R.  I 


Manville  Covering  Co. ...Illinois 16  «.  Canal  St.,  Chicago. 

Manville  Covering  Co  ..  .Michigan  )  225.  227,  229.  231  riybourn  street, 

Manville  Covering  Co  ...  .Minnesota!  Milwaukee. 

W.  Hiley  Hart  <fc  Co Indiana 57    N.  Illinois   Street,  Indianapolis. 

See  pa^e  15<"  for  descriptive  notice  and  cut  of  building:. 


Peter  Ulrlch  

K.  II.  Hiil.ni 

H.  si'il.liiif. 

Mott  ,V   Knight 


Nebraska O2O  Paxlon  Block.  Omaha. 

Ohio Room  15,  Produce  Exchange,  Toledo. 

Missouri 1415  No.  Broadway,  si.  Louis. 

Massachusetts  38  Oliver  Street,  Boston. 


HOPKINS'  MAGIC  GOLD  DUST. 


A  SPEEDY  CURE 


FOB 


Sores  and  wounds. 

FINE  AS  DUST. 

The    only  Natural  and   Complete  Remedy  for 
Sores  and  Wounds  on 


Scratches,  Grease  Heels,  Thrush,  Poll  Evil,  Fis- 
tula, Quittor,  Sore  Back,  Sore  Tongue,  Galls, 
Lampas,  Opthalmia  or  Inflamed  Eyes,  Fresh  Cuts, 
Sore  Teats  on  Cows,  Hoof  Hot,  Foul  in  Cattle's 

Feet,  etc. 

FOR  THE 

Human  Family. 

Catarrh,  Fever  Sores,  Piles,  Leuchorrhea  or 
Whites,  Salt  Rheum,  Sore  Throat,  Chilblains, 
Burns  and  Scalds,  Scald  Head,  Canker  or  Sore 
Throat,  etc. 


HOPKINS 

MflfllG  GOld  DOSt ! 

Is  one  of  the  wonderful  discoveries  of  the  age, 
and  destined  to  make  a  complete  revolution  in 
the  manner  of  treating  Sores  and  Wounds  in  both 
Man  and  Beast,  discarding  Salves,  Plasters,  Oint- 
ments, Poisonous  Washes  and  Liniment",  It  will 
not  inflame  or  aggravate  d'sease,  but  on  the  first 
application  begins  to  assist  nature  to  heal,  and  I 
challenge  the  world  to  produce  any  other  remedy 
that  will  cure  diseases  named  in  my  circular,  as 
quickly  and  satisfactorily  as  the 

MAGIC  COLD  DUST. 


Warranted  to  give  perfect  satisfaction  or  Money 
Refunded.  For  Sale  at  all  the  principal  Drug  and 
Country  Stores  in  the  United  States  and  Canadas. 


Large  Size,  $1.00  Per  Bottle. 

Small  Size,  50  Cents  Per  Bottle. 


HOPKINS'  MAGIC  GOLD  DUST  CO., 

SOLE  MANUFACTURERS  AND  PROPRIETORS. 

New  York  Office,  168  West  44th  Street,  New  York  City.  Home  Office,  330  Eddy  Street,  Providence,  R.  I. 

JOHN  H.  HOPKINS,  President  and  Treasurer. 


XXII 


H.  W.  LADD  CO., 

•:•    PROVIDENCE.    * 

The  •  Leading  •  Dry  •  Goods  •  House. 


SPECIALTIES 


Exclusive  Dress  Goods, 

Evening  and  Party  Silks, 


Fine  Housekeeping  Goods, 
Gloves  and  Hoisery. 


Fine  Garments. 

Muslin  Underwear,  Art  Goods, 
Upholstery,  Laces, 

Men's  Furnishings,  Novelties. 


.  W.  LADD 


Easels,  Photo  Holders  and  Banner  Stands. 


JOSIAH  CROCKER. 


FLEXIBLE  COFFIN  ORNAMENTS  AND  METAL  TRIM  MINGS  IN  GOLD  AND  SILVER 


MANUFACTURERS  OF 


Eureka  Disc  Friction  Pulleys   and  Cut-oft"  Couplings. 

Repairs  and  General  Jobbing  done  witb 

cheapness  and  dispatch. 

STEAM  ENGINE  REPAIRING  A  SPECIALTY. 


OFFICE  AND  SHOP; 

ID  HICKS'  HILL,  BEHR  OF  SB  EflST  RVEiE. 

PAWTUCKET,  R.  I. 


•HORSE  TWIST  DRILL  &  HWH1NE  GOfllPflNY,  New  Bedford,  mass. 

Manufacturers  of 

Straight  and  Taper 

Shank  Drills, 
Solid  Shell  and 

Taper  Reamers,' 
Beach  Chucks, 

Milling  Cutters, 
Taps  and  Dies, 

and  Special  Tools  to  Order. 


S,  A.  DUDLEY, 


TAUNTON,  MASS., 

MANL:FACH:HKU  OK 


Q  LJ  MTTL  ES  of  a"  Descr'Ptions 

ALSO,  SOLE   MANUFACTURER  OF 


Dudley's  Patent  Double  Outside  Catch  Shuttles. 

The  ONLY  Double  Outside  Catch  Shuttle  Made. 


XXIII 


THE  conon  nnp  wooim  nim  QF  new 


.     WE  OFFER  THE  FINEST  LINE  OF     .... 


IIIIMIIIHIMimilllll 


iiMiiiiiuiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimiiiiiiiHiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiifiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiMMiiiiiiiiii 


Extant,  at  Lowest  Market  Prices. 


Our  Oils  are  each  especially  adapted  for  use  on  Spindles,  Looms,  En- 
gines, and  in  Cylinders. 

We  solicit  inquiry  for  prices  from  consumers  only,  as  we  employ  no 
drummers,  and  thereby  save  our  customers  the  ten  per  cent,  estimated 
cost  of  drumming  the  trade. 

WILLIAM  F.  NYE, 

NEW  BEDFORD,  fldSS. 


F 


The  only 

Engraving 

Establishment 

in 
New  Bedford. 


PROGRESS   AND  ENTERPRISE. 


iiiMHiimimiiiMiii  .......  iiiiniii  ......  inn  ..........  tt  .............  inn  ......  minim  .....  minimi  ......  iimmm 


PAUL  HOWLAND,  JR., 

iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiifiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiniiiinmniiiiii 

-  PRINTER,  * 

I MUM II III! Ill IMIMIIIIIItllllll Mllll Illlllllll Mill HUH IIIIMMIIMI I 

Designer  and  Engraver, 

45  WILLIP  STREET,  HEW  BEDFORD,  DlflSS. 


iiiiiiiinii  .........  i 


The  only 
Engraving 

Establishment 
in 

New  Bedford. 


Jfeui  Bedford  Copper  Co., 

Copper  and  Metal  Rolling  Mills, 
NEW  BEDFORD,  MASS., 


MANUFACTURERS  OF 


Braziers',  Dimension,  Bolt  and  Bnr  Copper,  t'opper  Hollers  for 

Calico  Printers,  Copper  Soldering  Irons,  Yellow    Mrl;il 

Bolts  aid  Pinion  Hods,  Yellow  Metal  Cut 

Nulls,  I'll-..   I'M-. 


GILBERT  ALLEN,  President. 


WM.  H.  MATHEWS,  Treasurer. 


MONEY  TO  LOAN 

CT  PER 

ON  MORTGAGES  IN  SUMS  TO  SUIT. 


R.  L.  wm.Kfino  WETBOMSI. 

Real  Estate  and  Mortgages- 


S.  C.  WILSON, 


Su  cessortoj  J.  FOXES, 


AND- 


Plumbing  Done  in  all  its  Branches. 

-FURNACE  WORK  A  SPECIALTY.- 


All   Work  Promptly   Attended    to   and   All    Worlc 
Guaranteed. 

Rear  36  East  Avenue,  Pawtucket,  R.  I. 


XXIV 


CHENEY  BROTHERS. 

SILK  MANUFACTURERS 

Mills,  Hartford  and  South  Manchester,  Conn. 


NEW  YORK,  477  Broome  Street. 


BOSTON,  79  Chauncey  Street. 


CHICAGO,  1  86  Franklin  Street. 


V£JjVEXl3      AND      PLUSHES:     SolldColore,  Striped,  Embossed. 

FOULARDS  AND  PONGEES:  A 

HANDKERCHIEFS  AND  MUFFLERS: 


CJ  *  T^TTVTC       A  TVTTl     TTXTTT  T  C         Printed  and  Solid  Colors,    Millinery  Silks,  Parasol  Goods,  Lining  Silks.  Marcelines,   Florentines, 
O^tl.  A  JLJ.ll  kJ     .CX J.TI  MJ      A.   W  XJUXjO  .  Grenadines,  Gauze,  Black  and  Colored  Gros- Grains,  Khadames,  Tricots,  Arraures. 


RIBBONS : 


Gros-Grain,  Satin  and  Picot  Edge. 


Trams,  oroanzines  and  Fine-spun  Silks  lor  Manufacturers' use. 

SILKS  FOR  SPECIAL  PURPOSES  TO  ORDER. 

Established  1838.  Incorporated  1854. 

TUG  Mather  system  ot  incandescent  LiQhting, 


SPECIALLY  ADAPTED  FOR  MILL  AND  FACTORY  USE. 


THE  MATHER  ELECTRIC  COMPANY, 


A  Few  Textile  Mills  using  the  Mather  System. 

Cheney  Bros. ,  So.  Manchester,  Conn.,  3,000  Lts. 
Joseph  Bancroft  &  Sons'  Co.,  Wil- 
mington, Del.,        .         .         .         1,300 
Border  City  Mills,  Fall  River,  Mass.,  1,100 
Rowland  Mills,  New  Bedford,     "  650 

Hartford   Carpet   Co.,   Thompson- 

ville,  Conn.,  ....  600 
Athens  Mfg.  Co. ,  Athens,  Ga. ,  .  .  600 
Putnam  Woolen  Co.,  Putnam,  Conn.,  450 
Leonard  Silk  Co., Warehouse  Point,  "  400 
Milner  &  Co.,  Moosup,  Conn.,  .  .  400 
British  Hosiery  Co.,  Providence,  R.  I.,  400 
Providence  Worsted  Mills,  "  "  400 

Globe  Yarn  Mill,  Fall  River.  Mass.,        300 
King  Philip  Mill,         "  "  300 


A  Few  Prominent  Miscellaneous  Plants 
using  the  Mather  System, 

Chamber  of  Com.  Safety  Dep.  Vault 

Co.,  Chicago,  111.,       .         .         .     3,800  Lts. 

Am.  Waltham  Watch  Co.,  Waltham, 

Mass.,      .         .         .         .         .        3,700 

Coronado  Beach  Co..  Coronado,  Cal.,  2,950 

Calafornia  Hotel  &  Theatre  Co., 

San  Francisco,  Cal.,     .         •      .     2,650 

Pioneer  Press  Co.,  St.  Paul,  Minn.,      2,200 

Endicott  Building,  St.  Paul,  Minn.,     2,150 

S.  D.  Warren  &  Co.,  Cumberland 


Mills,  Maine, 

Davidson  Theatre,  Milwaukee,  Wis., 
New  Broadway  Theatre,  Denver,  Col., 
Jones  Bros.  Elec.  Co.,  Cincinnati,  O  , 

Shoe  &  Leather  Exchange,  Boston, 
Mass  ...... 

Progress  Club,  New  York,  N.  Y., 


750 
,600 
,600 
,5°° 


.3°° 


Knowles  Loom  Works,  Worcester,  Mass.  Soo 


For  Estimates  for  Isolated  L,igrht  and  Power  Plants  Address  the  nearest  Local  Office. 
New  York  Office,  14  Whitehall  Street.  Boston  Office,  105  Summer  Street.  Chicago  Office,  9  Metropolitan  Block. 


Philadelphia  Office,  114  So.  15th  Street. 


Cincinnati  Office,  28  W.  Court  Street. 


XXV 


GRANGER  FOUNDRY  &  MflGHINE  60. 

Bleaching,  Dyeing,  Drying  and  Finishing 

-^MACHINERY. 


HUSK,  PAPER  AND  COTTON  ROLLS. 


Calenders,  Mangles,  Drying  Machines,  Tentering  Machines,  Hydraulic  Presses,  Etc.     Short  and    Long  Chain 
Dyeing,  Sizing  and  Drying  Machines.     Combination  of  Husk  and  Cotton  Rolls. 


W.  8.  GRANGER,  President. 
H.  A.  DcVILLARD,  Treasurer. 
H.  A.  TILUNGHAST,  Secretary. 


Providence,  £{.  I. 


COATES'  CLIPPER  MANFG  CO., 


MANUFACTURERS  OF 


COATES'  PATENT 

Horse  ana  Barbers' GliDDers 

IN  GREAT  VARIETIES,  BOTH  HAND  AND  POWER, 


We  make  a  specialty  of  sharpening  and  repairing  all  kinds  of  Clippers.     We  sharpen  any  of 
our  Barbers'  Clippers  for  50  cents.     Orders  by  mail  or  express  promptly  attended  to. 

ask  to  see  CORTES'  PHTENT  FINGER  mi  CUTTER.    Handiest  article  ID  me  world. 


MACHINERY 


OF  ALL  KINDS. 


A.  B.  PITK1N, 

Providenee,  R.  I. 


ESTABLISHED    1844. 


FACTORIES    OF 


-— --         —  A 

INCORPORATED    1866. 


TUB  Original  and  Genuine 


Made  in  all  styles  of  Chande- 
liers, Library  Lamps,  Piano 
Lamps,  Table  Lamps  in  all 
finishes. 

Six  Years'  Success  prove  it 
Superior  to  all  others.  Easy  to 
Light,  Easy  to  Extinguish,  Easy 
to  Wick. 


TRADE-MARK. 

ROCHESTER." 

TRADE-MARK. 


i  "jsco  e-a^jsco.! 


No.  2,  65  Candle  Power;   No.  10,  300  Candle  Power. 

B8WMB  ffllUIiBR  &  C 


NEW  YORK  STORE: 
10  &  12  COLLEGE   PLACE. 


MERIDEN,  CONN. 


,  BOSTON  STORE : 

38    PEARL   STREET. 


RETURN  TO  DESK  FROM 


OWED 


W" 


'•  FwDRF  "DRAPER-  JV  DR«oRb        TUs  b°°k  is  df  °n  the  las'  date  stamped  below,  or     58,  UlilfOrd,  NuSS 

on  the  date  to  which  renewed. 

Renewed  books  are  subject  to  immediate  recall. 


YH  02984 


GEORGE 

Com 


_iiffl3b_ 

r  —  MAR  6    1957 

H 

j 

}—  

j 

—  i 

9 

i 

1: 

We  are  Agents  for 

Twisters,  Warpers,  Spo 
chine  Co.,  Dutcher 
Holders,  Northrop  S 
Etc.,  Etc.,  and 
eluding  that  Leade 

WE  QUC 

"  In  deciding  upon  the  valu<  . . i :  What  is  the  limit  of 

speed?  What  power  do  they  requ  T_  j  durable?  How  often 

must  they  be  oiled?  -100m-6/56  .General  Library 

-And  the  best  spindle  istheon  University  of  California  'HE  RABBETH  as  now 

made.  In  its  earlier  forms  It  revo  Berkeley  avercome  the  troubles 

attending  these  earlier  forms.  As  now  made,  it  can  oe  ruu  at  nuj  m....... ,  ..... t.  less  power  than  aoy 

other  spindle  at  the  same  speed ;  will  run  more  steadily  under  all  conditions,  and  is  the  most  durable  of  all  high  speed  spin- 
dles, besides  having  the  capacity  for  taking  up  wear  of  bearings.  It  will  not  get  out  of  the  centre  of  the  ring,  or  wear  out 
packings,  like  the  earlier  forms.  Continued  steadiness  is  insured  by  the  adjustability  of  the  flt  of  the  bolster.  It  requires 
oiling  only  once  from  two  to  four  weeks,  while  some  of  the  alleged  high  speed  spindles  require  it  from  once  to  twice  a  day. 
In  no  important  respect  is  it  excelled,  and  in  few  equaled,  by  any  other  form  of  spindle  in  use. 

"We  ask  an  unprejudiced  consideration  of  these  statements,  and  an  investigation  as  to  their  truth,  from  manu- 
facturers proposing  to  buy  new  or  repair  old  spinning." 

GEO.  DRAPER  &  SONS,  Hopedale    Mass. 


ROYAL  C.  TAFT, 


President. 


J.  ff.  VERSOS, 

Cashier. 


jVlcrcliaiits 
JVattonaf 


Oiji-OF  PROVIbENCE,  R.  I. 


Incorporated  1818. 


Re-Organized  1863. 


Satisfactory  arrangements  made  with  Valuable  Deposit 

Accounts.     Special  attention  paid  to  collections 

of   all    points    in    New    England. 

PROMPTNESS,  CflREFULNE//  *»£  LOW 
CHARQES  QUflRflNTEED. 


Industrial  Trust  company, 

57  Westminster  St.,  Providence,  R.  I. 


Open  From  9  A.  M.  to  3  P.  .'I . 


«£5OO,OOO 


Transacts  a  general  Banking  and  Trust  Business.  Interest  paid  on  deposits. 
This  Company  is  authorized  to  act  as  Trustee,  Executor,  Administrator,  Onar- 
dian,  etc.  Trustees,  Executors,  Administrators,  Guardians  and  Assignees 
depositing  their  funds  or  property  with  this  Company  are  exempt  from  all 
personal  liability.  Six  per  cent  investments  for  sale. 

DIRECTORS. 

Hiram  H.  Thomas,  James  M.  Kimball.  Oeo.  L.  Littlefield,  Joshua  Wilbour, 
Albert  L.  Calder,  Nicholas  Van  Slyck,  Sterns  Hutchlns,  Hezekiah  Conant,  Geo. 
T.  Bliss,  N.  Y.,  Wm.  C.  Osborn,  N.  Y.,  Samuel  P.  Colt,  Horace  M.  Barnes,  John 
P.  Campbell,  Asa  P.  Potter,  Boston,  John  McAuslan,  James  Lawless,  Leander 
B.  Peck,  Enos  Lapham,  Newton  D.  Arnold,  Heury  R.  Barker,  Olney  T.  Ininan. 
SAMUEL  P.  COLT,  President  ALBERT  L.  CALDElt,  Vice  President. 

J.  M.  ADDEMAN,  Treasurer. 


Original  Wilson  Belt  Hooks. 

Combination  Patent  Belt  Hooks. 
Clinching  Belt  Hooks. 

Look  for  the  name  "  TALCOTT''  on  all  labels. 


O. 

14  Sabin  Street,  Providence,  R.  I. 


^si 


fflfo. 


